caulfield12

QUOTE (Knackattack @ Feb 1, 2016 -> 10:56 PM) I'd offer Putnam and LaRoche for Ethier and 0 money. You take a little hit salary-wise, but you put Avi in left and Ethier in right and the outfield D looks way better. Ethier sits against LHP and you find a righty DH/OF candidate for the bench. What happened to Cabrera? You're going to leave Avi playing the field to DH Cabrera?

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Feb 1, 2016 -> 10:36 PM) Um, Viciedo had 25 HRs (compared to 10) and higher OPS. And while both are terrible defensively, Viciedo at least had a cannon of an arm. Yes, but Soler has the ability to put up a higher OBP imo. Not taking walks and swinging at pitches outside of the zone (especially high fastballs) just killed his career. Along with the defensive falloff after 2012. That and the post-season run give Soler a burst of added value, but the Cubs would be better off holding onto Soler/Baez (one of them), whichever they believe has the most upside. It's quite possible they're not ready to sell low on either guy. The problem is where are they going to find enough at-bats for both of them to increase their value? Baez tearing up AAA again doesn't help much. http://espn.go.com/mlb/player/stats/_/id/32558/jorge-soler If you combine his stats over two years, you get a 758 OPS, 15 homers and 67 RBI's in 455 at-bats, they're actually close to identical from an offensive standpoint.

Cruz simply can't win a general election based predominantly on promoting Judeo-Christian principles. He will learn that quickly enough in New Hampshire next week. Maybe 25-30 years ago, this was possible, but not in a modern, closing in on minority-majority America that's largely moved on from fighting social values wars over gay rights, abortion, school prayer, etc. And graduating from Princeton, it's pretty hard to be completely anti-establishment, no matter how much you try to run from your past as an "outsider". Rubio gave the right speech to the entire country...from Iowa. Cruz is taking the tone-deaf strategy which won't broaden his tent and be more inclusive or uniting. And Rick Perry and Glen Beck aren't exactly who I'd want on my side against the "Washington Cartel" he's very much a part of. Reagan Democrats for Cruz? Is he completely nuts? I feel like I'm watching a Kirk Cameron documentary. Even that would be more entertaining. Sen. Cory Gardner twists the knife in Trump Sean Sullivan · 11:31 PM DES MOINES — In a celebratory mood after Sen. Marco Rubio’s projected third-place finish in Iowa, Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) took a dig at Donald Trump, who was barely ahead of Rubio for second place in the latest tally. After a Washington Post reporter noted to him that Rubio did not mention Trump in his speech, Gardner interjected. “I’m not so sure Iowa did either in their votes,” Gardner said with a laugh. Gardner said Rubio heads into New Hampshire with a “full head of steam.” He said the endorsement of his colleague, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) is “a big deal” in South Carolina, which votes after New Hampshire. Gardner summed up Rubio’s pitch by calling him “the unity candidate.” Washington Post https://iemweb.biz.uiowa.edu/graphs/graph_RCONV16.cfm Rubio now the clear favorite for the nomination, Trump in 2nd, Cruz 3rd, Republican Field 4th and Carson 5th

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Feb 1, 2016 -> 09:56 PM) Cruz and Trump are both nuts so Rubio is the only chance the GOP has. Bush has really resented the "upstart" Rubio jumping his place in line as they're from the same state and Bush was sort of a mentor to him at one time...not unlike Hillary's camp thinking Obama should have waited his turn eight years ago. It would be nice to see Kasich and Christie and the reasonable candidates left pushing their supporters in the direction of Rubio. Kasich has one final shot in NH to gain some ground, and I actually think Rubio and Kasich would make an excellent pairing for a general election, because of his popularity in Iowa. You need to balance Rubio's youth with someone more experienced. That said, because of Hillary's expected advantage with women, there's at least a 50/50 chance he tries to counter with a Nikki Haley or Susana Martinez type. Don't see Fiorina and Rubio fitting together, although that would be interesting as well.

You'd have to think he'd average around 425-475 at-bats in those two seasons... So not very likely, but not impossible.

Before tonight, the nomination was Trump's to lose. Now it's likely to be Rubio's. The irony is that it would be the complete reverse of 1992 (the first of the Baby Boomers to break through), when her husband and Gore ran against Bush's father...and then Dole/McCain/Romney against the much younger and more vibrant/energetic candidates. That's IF she can survive tonight. An Iowa loss again would be absolutely devastating. If it weren't for O'Malley's 7 out of 1,224, they would be exactly tied with 12% still to report. Nobody thought it would be that close.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Feb 1, 2016 -> 08:57 PM) Caucuses are dumb, just hold a vote. It's actually a good lesson in civics and government...I remember being in high school when we tried to lead a Jesse Jackson block in 1988 but we had to give way to Dukakis because you had to get that 15% threshold or join another candidate (basically the same challenge an O'Malley supporter faced coming into tonight). But that was a very crowded field, and much deeper. It was kind of cool that high school and college students had an equal voice and could actually influence older adults if they could argue their case passionately and intelligently. Something unique about the American democracy you don't see anywhere else. Sanders within just 3 with 89.5% in, 7 for O'Malley and 1 uncommitted....razor-thin margin no matter how it turns out. The night started out with 3 delegates committed already to Clinton, so she's leading in that race 20-17. No matter how you cut it, huge psychological victory for the Sanders campaign. And he has the donations streaming in to keep fighting theoretically all the way to the Democratic Convention, much like Santorum did in 2012 to Romney (albeit at the end it was clear he had no real chance.) TRULY INSPIRATIONAL!!! DES MOINES — The Democratic race remains incredibly close, with Sanders and Clinton separated by less than a point with results still streaming in. But already, the Clinton campaign says that they believe they have won, given the high turnout reported throughout the state. “Turnout is high, which Sanders campaign always said would benefit them. But we believe we have won tonight,” according to a campaign aide. Tonight will be all about setting expectations for both campaigns. If Clinton is able to stave off a Sanders victory — or make it incredibly close — despite elevated turnout, they will declare victory. The Sanders team may call it a win either way.

There's not even a 50/50 split. It's something like 35-40% registered Republican, 30-35% registered Democract and the rest independent/moderate/centrist.

Rubio is up to 21% now. Trump down to 25% with 50% of the votes in... 28/25/22 with 75%. Unless Sanders can upset Clinton, the story of tonight will be Rubio's ascendancy and the potential beginning of the end for Trump...but he can still win NH and South Carolina. The GOP has to hope they destroy each other and that Rubio clearly becomes the only realistic chance for beating Clinton in the general.

Probably the White Sox will ask for at least $5 million and optimally hope to get $6-7 million. Now whether it's worth it to the Dodgers to be forced to rely on Puig, Pederson and Crawford after last season...that's another question altogether.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Feb 1, 2016 -> 08:20 PM) If any state truly represents the makeup of our country, it's Iowa. So you're suggesting Ohio or Florida have a primary to start the process every four years? I think the combination of Iowa, NH, South Carolina and Nevada carries a good cross-section...some have argued for years and years that the South has too much influence because of SC and the Super Tuesday primaries being primarily southern states. And those first three are all small states selected that force the candidates to do "retail," door-to-door/restaurant/Lions Club type politicking...whereas the big states lend themselves more to advertising dollars and larger-sized events.

Right now, with around 20% reporting, Rubio looks like the biggest early story...jumping from low teens all the way to 19%. He has been stuck with 9-13% for much of the last year. It wasn't enough of a late surge like Santorum got to win, but all of the "establishment" is going to coalesce around him if it hadn't already happened. Bush will fight at least through SC, but just don't see any avenue for him to get back in. Kasich and Christie both hoping to get bounces out of NH, especially Kasich.

QUOTE (Alpha Dog @ Feb 1, 2016 -> 07:09 PM) Only the 'establishment' types that are afraid that he will end THEIR opportunities for graft as well. Both parties are for big government, the difference is just what part is big and what isn't. Many were idealistic about Obama being largely an outsider to the system. What is there in Cruz's reform/ist background that would cause one to believe he has so much integrity and righteousness in his make-up to actually reform and improve the system and not be corrupted and co-opted by it in the process? What happened with Gingrich's revolution in 1994 and the Tea Party when they moved from outsiders to insiders? I'm not talking here about squeaky clean Jimmy Stewart in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, that's hopelessly naive...but why would Cruz be any different? To reform the system, you have to become part of it, and therein lies the danger. Wouldn't an outsider who has less to gain from graft like Trump or Bloomberg be the better reformer? Or at least a governor like Kasich or Christie who aren't part of the same Washington/Beltway system? (I'll leave Bush out for now because of his family name).

QUOTE (oldsox @ Feb 1, 2016 -> 06:32 PM) Danish is too much for Ethier. Dodgers need to make this move. Give them LaRoach Clip. Good move for both teams. If he's not worth paying $5.5 million to the Pirates, forcing them to take LaRoche would mean MORE of our prospects would be out the door. Not even sure what the Dodgers would want, other than the obvious names. And then we'd need to turn around and spend that money on a DH unless you trust Avi Garcia in that role. Maybe Alvarez would make sense, but it's almost impossible to imagine the Dodgers taking LaRoche back until he proves he hasn't completely lost it in the regular season.

Yeah, if you want to hear Aubrey Plaza talking like a nymphomaniac and wearing practically nothing, that's your movie. Zoey Deutch is a cutie, too. Kind of felt like the last Harold & Kumar movie, except no Neil Patrick Harris.

Assuming this is very typical of a Trump fan (from yahoo comments about a Trump rally with disappointing turnout in Waterloo)...how many Americans really share this viewpoint? Show Replies (15)Reply1653 AuroraAurora11 minutes ago I keep hearing about the Bible Belt Christians. What I do not get is that they are not really following the Bible to a Tee they need to read Romans 13:1-7 , James 4:11 about judging one another, Deuteronomy 18:20-22 speaks of false prophets . Cruz if he really believed in God like he is claiming , should know not to be spreading lies about any candidate! If he should win, it needs to be on honesty and for the innocent people who have suffered the most under people like him, who instead of coming together for what is best for all Americans, they choose to push their own agenda. Cruz needs to look in his own mirror and do some self reflection! We have real issues presently affecting all American citizens, like high unemployment, low wages, high cost for health care, or in some cases lack of good healthcare, too many illegals draining our system, high crime, too much homelessness, our federal Government not enforcing our laws to protect the rights of all the Americans, with regards to the 20 million plus illegals! Bring back companies to America who have left because off too much high taxing. I am not stupid to see that all the Politicians who are running have had their chances to do their part, and failed, why would I even contemplate giving them another chance. We need someone who will know how to pay off the 19 trillion dollars debt! We need someone who will stand up for all Americans, and forget about party affiliation, which looks to be the issue of all the corruption that is preexisting in America! Things will never change unless we become Independently open minded to accept change, or else just accept the same status quo, which will continue failing everyone. If you love America, stop allowing the media to influence your vote and look at the facts as they exist!

And if you look at Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway, they all have extremely high tax rates that wouldn't be palatable to the majority of Americans. The more important lesson here perhaps is to learn from Finland how to have Top 3 mathematics education and arguably one of the best remaining K-12 public education systems in the world. For example, their teachers only come from the cream of the crops of the best universities, are treated with much more respect and are compensated more to "market value" in that society, in the sense that the future of the country rests on their hands, in a way. Provide a fairer, more just education system and the need for the jobs program as described above starts to melt away. Certainly the inequality in results/access between rich and poor to the same education.

QUOTE (Vance Law @ Feb 1, 2016 -> 05:22 PM) Yes, I agree with all of that. He isn't THAT overpaid and the more they pay, the more they'd get back in prospects. I wouldn't want to give up anyone better than Danish. Otoh, they can just argue that WAR is worth roughly $7 million on the open market and he more than earned his contract last year, despite his lack of ability to hit against lefties. Of course, just like with Kendrick, who had a 5.4 and then 1.1 over the last two years, because of his age and inconsistency, he's probably valued closer to a 1.5-2.25 WAR guy by other teams (especially in the AL)...who will counter that's a lot to play someone who doesn't play everyday and isn't going to be confused with a Gold Glover candidate, either.

Iowa has gone a long time without picking a winner. They picked GH Bush in 1980, and then Huckabee and Santorum in recent years. Everyone knows that Christie, Kasich, Bush and Rubio are the four that would have the best chance in a general election, if you went back to the 1912 system and had a smoke-filled backroom of political insiders making the call and forcing Roosevelt despite winning a majority of primaries to form his own Bull Moose Party. The irony here is that if the GOP leadership could pick their own guy, Trump and Cruz would be last on their lists. Ah, democracy. Of course, there's a long list of establishment guys like Dole, McCain, Bush and Romney who ended up as the eventual nominee. Just harder to see how they get there from now, and how they keep all those supporters of Cruz and Trump inside the same tent. Does Trump go 3rd party? Bloomberg? With Cruz's vanity and blind ambition, you can almost imagine him mounting a 3rd party bid since everyone in his own party seems to hate him already...and run a campaign strictly targeting every Christian/values voter, the ones who went for Huck and Santorum the last two caucuses and refused to vote for Obama. That might get you 15-20%, but not enough to win.

Cubs' marketing!!! Harry Caray! Babes in the bleachers drinking Buds. I would venture that Soler has about the same value Viciedo did after 2012.

KC just picked up Travis Snider, but that was on a minor-league contract. Their posture all off-season has been 100% confidence in Dyson, but they definitely could use a RH bat with less downside risk than Orlando. Austin Jackson would be a natural fit, but they wasted so much money on Kennedy already it seems he would be out of their price range as a guy only getting 200-250 at-bats. The one thing on their side is they do have a pretty good relationship with Boras. All things considered, Jennings would be their best choice as a RH if the price is right as he fits in their 2 year window. But how willing are the Rays to sell low on him? That said, he's going to make a relatively higher salary the next two years than the Rays might be comfortable with for someone not in their long-term plans and possibly/probably declining due to age and injury concerns. This is why Jennings is an attractive option for a lot of teams not willing to give up the pick or overspend on Fowler.

And Soler flashed some big-time potential in the playoffs, so the Cubs are probably banking on that to raise the expected return. Still doubtful they get what they want back on either Soler or Baez.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-l..._opinions_pop_b How the Dems theoretically attack Trump in the general, and whether it would actually work or not...of course, not taking into consideration a potential Bloomberg run throwing things into more chaos.

QUOTE (daggins @ Feb 1, 2016 -> 01:35 PM) well vs rhp Eaton Melky Abreu Frazier Ethier Laroche Lawrie Desmond Avila/Navarro and vs LHP Eaton Melky Abreu Frazier Sands Lawrie Desmond Avi or some other RH bat (Coats? Raburn????) Avila/Navarro I feel like either of those would be pretty solid lineups. Edit - with Saladino as the spare IF and Sanchez in Charlotte. It's pretty difficult to imagine the White Sox giving Coats much of a chance...unless he has a Wilson Betemit-esque run in spring training.

QUOTE (GreenSox @ Feb 1, 2016 -> 09:47 AM) Why should they be? Teams that win in this era have young talent, play elite defense and have strong bullpens...only one of which is a Sox priority; and they actually weakened that priority this offseason (bullpen) by trading Montas. Teams like the Astros, Cubs, Mets, Dodgers and Blue Jays aren't built around great defenses. The Royals are something of an anomaly because 1) at the time, building a defense was cheaper than paying for offense, at least until recently and 2) that style of play works with that specific ballpark. They're basically having to compensate for their lack of dominant pitching and lack of 30+ homer types in other areas. You can also say the same thing for the Rays (because of their payroll and turf stadium)...and then you have the Orioles, who have prioritized defense under Showalter but still might finish in 4th place. There's also nothing special about the defenses of the other AL Central teams. The Tigers are very solid up the middle but have issues on all the corners (both INF/OF). The Twins have the potential to be above-average if Buxton realizes his immense potential and they can avoid putting Sano in that outfield too much.