caulfield12

NPH ripping on the director of the short doc (whose son committed suicide, and the movie was about programs to remedy that) for her fashion choice wasn't exactly the best. Terrence Howard's getting a lot of mentions for his "overlove" or infatuation with 3 of the best picture nominations....everyone speculating something went wrong with the teleprompter and he was trying to wing it and went all emotional/dramatic as a way to fight through it. You could sense that he was totally lost there a moment and then got back with his pre-programmed speech. Finally, I wonder if Travolta's trying to act "too cool" these days because of all the whispers out there about his possibly being gay, Scientology, etc.? It's like he is trying to force his way back into relevancy by his behavior, but it's just icky. Idina Menzel seemed to have a good sense of humor about it...basically, those two will always be connected together forever now, so why not just laugh it off? If it was an episode of Criminal Minds and everything in his life since Battleship Earth was evidence, he'd be checking off 2-3 boxes on the serial killer list.

In other words, potentially they pack the punch of the 2006 White Sox (first half) offense but they will also go into prolonged droughts/slumps and have a challenge manufacturing runs because many of their hitters are not multi-dimensional.

QUOTE (Brian @ Feb 23, 2015 -> 06:36 AM) Loved Internet's Own Boy. DVRing CitizenFour tonight. Excited about it. My buddy really hyped it up for me so hope my expectations aren't too high. It's not really exciting...more of a "behind the scenes" look at the whole situation. It still leaves a lot of questions unanswered about Snowden himself.

Let's look at it this way. What team in MLB doesn't have a number of flaws? We can name 10-12 things that could go wrong with the Tigers off the top of our heads, and their payroll's a lot higher than the Sox. They've probably spent almost a billion dollars this past decade, still with no World Series titles. Even the Nationals and Dodgers, we could pick apart their weaknesses.

QUOTE (Brian @ Feb 23, 2015 -> 05:54 AM) I enjoyed Whiplash the most out of all them and think it was the Shawshank of this Oscars. Meaning in time, it will be the most rewatchable out of this years nominees and most quotable. Also think Simmons performance was the best of the year in any category. Leading or Supporting. Can't argue with Birdman. It really was an accomplishment all the way around. I also think Whiplash is indicative of a cultural "sea change" in the way that pushing kids is perceived. The other side of it is books like "Tiger Mom" about how the US is just too soft in the way we raise our children...that the path to excellence in the case of many breakthroughs is a mentor that pushed that person to the edge and beyond what they believed they were capable of. Definitely, if you have a teenager...it's relevant, not just for the story or for jazz/music aficionados. It's like Mr. Holland's Opus for modern times. Also, just finished watching CITIZENFOUR. Have the same reaction as the Oscars audience....not sure whether to praise him as a hero or vilify him as a villain. Would tend to side with the "heroic" take, but of course he broke the law (even though he was fighting against what he believed to be an unconstitutional overreaching of the Patriot Act). Very complicated situation. It's not unlike that doc you referenced early (and which I thought was even better), The Internet's Own Boy.

I think history will show that Birdman was the better pick over Boyhood. Unfortunate for Keaton not to get the best actor, but they picked up pretty much everything else. For foreign movies, Ida and Leviathan were the two best IMO. Imitation Game got credit for its adapted screenplay, which was nice to see. Overall, that movie was simply better than The Theory of Everything. Btw, Miles Teller living the dream with his new "model/actress" girlfriend. And cool Jack Black rant at the beginning.

In terms of the catcher's position, we have more depth than at any time in recent Sox history...you've got 3 veterans in Soto/Kottaras/Brantly, Nieto and Kevan Smith. That's not GREAT, but much improved compared to last year entering the season. The 4th outfielder, likely, is on another team right now...it's not like we're stuck with the only options being Taylor and Shuck. As far as the rotation goes, we are six deep with Rodon, and that's not including Beck, Scott Carroll and Brad Penny. We're in a better position than 75% of other teams, and with Danks on the books for two more years, making ANOTHER move before the season would have been foolhardy. If there was a speculative move to be made, it should have been a two-year deal like the Royals signed with Medlen, so that you have additional back-up insurance for Samardzija leaving via FA before 2016.

QUOTE (Boogua @ Feb 22, 2015 -> 03:29 PM) If Illinois wins 3 out of their last 5 they will be pretty safely in, so if they win tonight the Iowa game isn't all that important. If Illinois loses tonight, the play in game for Illinois will likely be @ Purdue the last game of the season. Up until last week, Purdue had been firmly on the bubble or out with most brackets because of their non-conference and lack of marquee wins. It will be an interesting finish. It's harder to imagine them winning in West Lafayette, compared to Iowa City. We just haven't had that home court supreme confidence for a decade now (this year losing to MSU and Minny already, along with WI).

Michigan inexplicably takes down OSU in Ann Arbor. And Iowa up 30 over Nebraska, ON THE ROAD. I don't think ANY team has been that dominant in Lincoln all season. So beat UNC in Chapel Hill, OSU twice, have MI down 20+ points in Ann Arbor and pin one of their worst home losses under Beilein, wipe out Maryland by double digits and ahead by 20+ in the first half...but lose at home to MINN and at Northwestern to ruin all positive momentum. What an inconsistent team. They'll probably lose to Illinois at home, win at PSU, lose at IND and beat NW by 30+ at home and then lose in the 2nd round of the B10 tourney and be firmly on the bubble. In many ways, that Illinois at Iowa game next week becomes another play-in game for the Illini, like tonight's game against MSU. Only two of Illinois, Purdue and Iowa will make it imo. Although OSU now is 8-6 too with that inexplicable loss to MI. Parity.

It would be nice if Iowa could find a young PG with athleticism, too.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 22, 2015 -> 10:23 AM) For once this random point appears accurate, down just about 75% and apparently one of/possibly the largest week to week drop in movie history. Even a broken clock is right twice a day.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Feb 22, 2015 -> 02:21 PM) If Jose Quintana threw 95 and had exactly the same stats he has had, he would be considered ace like. If Samardzija is what everyone hopes, and Rodon is what many expect him to be, that is almost as stacked as it gets. He does throw 92-93 MPH pretty consistently. He's just not a media darling/personality, is not particularly flamboyant, he pitches for the Sox, English is his second language and he's not a strikeout machine, consistently get 10+ K numbers that look nice on SportsCenter. To me, because his change-up isn't dominating, he's more like Johan Santana-Lite. It will be nice to see how he responds to pennant pressure...he was awesome the first half of 2012 and faded a bit like everyone else in the 2nd half.

Another example would be the KKK or John Birch Society perverting Christianity...or the polygamous branch of the Mormon Church deviating from the norm. There was a recent episode of The Blacklist (The Ken'yon Family) dealing with this topic. It's not so much a particular religion, it's the extremism of that religion, used to justify horrific acts. Would the US government state that extremist misinterpretations of Christianity are the root of many domestic anti-government and militia groups throughout the country? What comes first, using the Bible or religion to justify their cause...or their cause justifying their beliefs?

QUOTE (CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ Feb 22, 2015 -> 04:32 AM) CSN really seems like the best place for the latest Sox video. Also video with Rodon talking , Avisails new diet, Jim Callis talking to Dan Hayes about Spencer Adams. Hayes has improved, IMO, partially because the system and major league team itself has improved so much. It's difficult as a reporter to do much with the 2013 season....but the additions of Abreu, Eaton, Garcia, Montas, Danish, Tim Anderson, Adams, Rodon...and now Duke/LaRoche/Samardzija/Robertson/Cabrera/Soto, this organization has become so much more interesting to follow. When the team you follow is in the mid 20's for record, attendance and minor league talent, what can you say positively? Kind of like all the hype about college football and basketball recruiting...having Jim Callis in-studio to interview also adds some credibility/legitimacy to his "insider" reporting style that he didn't feature previously.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/20/politics/giu...rica/index.html Giuliani stands by Obama comments Obama Haters: It's Becoming Crazytown http://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2015/02/21/sm...ry-02212015.cnn Maher: Obama Sounds Like the NRA http://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2015/02...-sounds-nra.cnn

http://www.csnchicago.com/white-sox/how-do...&ocid=yahoo And he's joined the world in getting an I-pad...proving that even leopards can change their spots.

QUOTE (SCCWS @ Feb 21, 2015 -> 08:44 AM) I can see one scenario. Rodon expldes in the minors and is put into the rotation and the Sox are in contention but have one major hole. Say Alexei or Flowers ( positions the Sox may not have a reliable back-up for) goes out for the season and they can get a ML ready prospect for Shark. If the Sox think Shark is going anyway, they could deal if they got a top prospect back. But how likely would they be to put a prospect into the middle of a division/pennant race in that scenario? I can only think of the opposite examples, like Hudson/Holmberg for Ed.Jackson. It's easy to imagine them hesitating on promoting Tim Anderson when he's slated to be in BIRM this whole season, but I think any Samardzija deal would have to give the Sox players back similar to a Semien/Bassitt with limited experience or some veterans on expiring contracts. Of course, there's the issue of the compensation for that draft pick which comes from holding onto him to consider, versus the return at mid-season.

QUOTE (Reddy @ Feb 21, 2015 -> 06:18 AM) So you're looking at the Central being winnable with fewer than 90 wins? Yeah, all four teams beat on each other and get the majority of their +.500 factor against Minny, Texas, Houston, TB and the NL. 87-89, 86 is really pushing it, but not impossible to conceive.

Who's the best collegiate catcher? Anywhere close to projecting at #8? From looking at draft boards, it looks like a ton of collegiate pitching, middle infielders and some outfielders. Is there anyone who has spent some time catching in the past but has been playing 1B/3B/DH/LF like Schwarber last year? http://m.mlb.com/news/article/107044448/20...top-10-catchers Here's the Top 10 prospects for catching list. The Mets seem to have a surplus, then there's the oft-mentioned Gary Sanchez. Justin O'Conner with the Rays is a really interesting prospect as well...but their incentive to deal a top prospect these days has to be pretty darned low.

QUOTE (Reddy @ Feb 20, 2015 -> 07:36 PM) Kinda silly of RV to set himself up for failure like this. Be optimistic and all... but man... it would literally take career years out of a number of our guys for us to reach the playoffs. It would take a 2005-style feat. I'm not sure about that, but Verlander/Sanchez having more health problems and another bullpen implosion there wouldn't hurt. As it is, Victor Martinez won't be 100% on opening day in terms of his timing and rhythm, it's quite possible he ends up having his own version of a Kendrys Morales 2014 or Adam Dunn 2011 season.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Feb 20, 2015 -> 03:49 PM) Meh. Sometimes I feel like people get way too excited about transfers. Sure sometimes teams strike gold, but a lot of the time, there is a reason why the school is letting the kid transfer in the first place. See Iowa State. Or UNLV/Cincy in the 90's. Lon Kruger, wherever he goes.

QUOTE (Dunt @ Feb 20, 2015 -> 12:07 PM) Long term, I see Montas being the bullpen piece and Danish being the starter. If both, even end up being productive major league pieces, that's a huge win for the Sox. I just think that's what both of them are best suited for IMO. Except unless he's as good as Wade Davis in the 8th or Herrera in the 7th, he's not going to be the closer with Robertson under contract for at least three seasons. They'd be much better off with him making it as a starter, since back-end rotation depth is one of their 3 most critical issues to address, along with C and the middle infield positions going forward.

QUOTE (LDF @ Feb 20, 2015 -> 02:43 PM) i really don't care what vegas says, and i will stand by my comments till the end of the season. the sox is a playoff team and has a good enuf chance to make a run for it. however in the playoff, without another sp addition, well i let you fill in the rest. remember, i stand by predictions and am going to enjoy drinking my sox kool-aid. If Rodon's halfway as good as most are projecting, then we have four for the playoffs. That's all you need. Look at what the Giants survived with after Bumgarner...Peavy, Hudson and Vogelsong. You can't seriously think that Quintana, Shark and Rodon aren't better than those three? With the Royals, you had Shields, Ventura (who really was their ace in the playoffs), Vargas and Guthrie. Same comment as above. Now they have Ventura, Volquez, Vargas, Guthrie and Duffy/Medlen/Finnegan/Hochevar. That rotation has more overall depth but the only "sure thing" is Ventura, and his arm was tender at times last year (same with Duffy) and they'll both have to deal with innings ceilings in all likelihood to protect their arms.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Feb 20, 2015 -> 03:10 PM) The responses don't have to be exactly the same, but when it comes to expressing to the American people and world your disgust/condemnation, I don't see why leaving out motive when it comes to terrorists is a bad thing. Everyone knows they're a religious based group even if it's a distorted and twisted version of one. Hell, express that in the same statement as you explain how the targets were not random but intended based on religious beliefs. It'd be one thing if we didn't know who committed the crimes or why and were just guessing that it must have been wacko Muslims. But that's not the case here. And it's not a legal case. There are no sides. EVERYONE (with sanity) agrees that these acts were terrible and should not have happened. EVERYONE (with sanity) agrees that targeting people based on their skin color, beliefs, backgrounds, etc. is terrible. Couching the response is unnecessary when everyone is on the same side. There wouldn't be any wars/conflict/strife/terrorism if that last sentence were in fact true. http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/20/politics/pol...bama/index.html Rudy Guiliani...does he really believe what he's saying? "I do not believe, and I know this is a horrible thing to say, but I do not believe the president loves America," Giuliani was quoted as saying by Politico. Asked by Fox News host Megyn Kelly Thursday whether he wanted to apologize, Giuliani replied: "Not at all. I want to repeat it." "I don't feel this love of America," Giuliani said. "I believe his initial approach is to criticize the United States." Giuliani dug in further in an interview with the New York Times, rejecting the idea that his remarks were born of racism. "I thought that was a joke, since (Obama) was brought up by a white mother, a white grandfather, went to white schools, " said Giuliani. "This isn't racism. This is socialism or possibly anti-colonialism," said Giuliani. How many times have we seen these same sentiments posted...the whole "anti-colonialism" thing started strategically with Thomas Sowell, a fellow African-American who gave fellow conservatives SOME political cover. It's the main reason that 25% of America, and roughly half of GOP voters.....believe/d that Obama is a practicing Muslim and not a United States citizen (the Birthers). OMG, he doesn't wear an American flag pin everyday...so he must be trying to elevate a caliphate nation in Africa instead of helping the American people, etc. He can't act outside of the political lens his father adopted in the 60's and 70's, etc.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Feb 20, 2015 -> 09:41 AM) We should hear today just about every player is in the greatest shape of their lives. The had Gillaspie on CSN yesterday. He drove 18 hours straight from Kansas and arrived yesterday. Why wouldn't you break that up a little bit? Because he's as intense as Ryan Gosling in "Drive" and his g/f has already seen the Grand Canyon?