caulfield12

I blame this loss on God Loves the Infantry starting the game thread too quickly. Actually, Gonzalez has pretty decent numbers against most of the current Yankees career-wise, but Tanaka's not an easy pitcher to beat, even with his stuff not quite what it was when he first joined NY. That said, I'm sure the betting line is hugely in favor of them.

Lebron to the Warriors...haha...that will help repair his legacy. Trying to see him co-exist with Green and Curry would be fascinating. But it will never happen in a million years. What's the latest conjecture about where Durant will end up? 50% return to OKC? Or less? Or depends entirely on how this season ends for Oklahoma City?

Losing 11 of 12 or 12 of 13 or whatever it is right now...there might be no choice left for Avila but to can Ausmus and see if they can salvage the season somehow. He's not the reason for the recent bullpen struggles, Miguel Cabrera and JD Martinez to be shades of their former selves (Cabrera actually pulled a 93 MPH fastball to left for his first "typical" homer in weeks), for Justin Verlander's fastball to be 90-92, for Anibal Sanchez to blow up every other start, for a talented rookie in Michael Fulmer to go through growing pains...the scapegoat more than anyone though seems to be Ausmus/Justin Upton and Anthony Gose to a lesser extent. It's pretty remarkable with Castellanos, Zimmerman, Kinsler and Victor Martinez playing so well that they could lose that many games across a stretch of almost two weeks.

Pitching in San Diego in meaningless games in one of the friendliest parks for pitchers isn't the same as pitching in the American League. (The likes of Clayton Richard and Eric Stults were made to look good out there). Look at Shields' 2014 stats with the Royals, particularly the 2nd half of the year and the post-season. Giving away Anderson and Fulmer AND paying his terrible contract would be insane. Now, if they were willing to pay for half of it or 40% and take two prospects (maybe Adams would be the one dealt, along with Hawkins), it might at least be plausible. Keep in mind, Hahn has ridden Miguel Gonzalez and Latos to just one loss the entire season in their starts, at a cost of under $5 million total. At least for the present, there is not any desperation to overpay on a starter. Of course, that could change in one month.

Yeah, that's an interesting one to ponder...or if Bo Jackson miraculously returned to his former athletic status after the hip surgery. Of course, the problem there is the strike KILLED the White Sox more than most teams, so the only way the Jordan theory makes sense is if he was good enough to help push the Sox back into the playoffs from 1995-97. And then he's leaving his legacy as the greatest player in the history of basketball behind to be, maybe, an All-Star...I guess the post said "awesome," sure...if he was an MVP-caliber outfielder, that would have made a huge difference. Same with the "what if Sammy Sosa became the same player (enhanced) for the White Sox he was for the Cubs?" Can go around and around forever with those thoughts.

Along with that: 1) The quaintness of "day baseball" and the fact that Wrigley Field was slowly moving towards historic park status while Comiskey was an aging and decrepit dinosaur. 2) Arnie Harris'/Caray's constant promotion of the "bikini babes in the bleachers" and Budweiser/party atmosphere, which has always been sorely lacking around 35th and Shields. If you were to name the top reasons to go to Sox games, "seeing pretty girls" was never one of them. 3) The 80's also saw more polarization/gentrification with the public housing....I remember as a 12-13 year old feeling a little bit scared in that area (at night), coming from my relatively protected environment in Iowa. All the favorable trends economically were moving to the Northside. 4) The excitement around Ryne Sandberg at that stage of his career...Baines was a great hitter in his own right, but, beginning with that Bruce Sutter/Cubs and Cardinals national Saturday game in 1984, there was just no much hype around Sandberg and also Andre Dawson compared to the quieter Sox players like Baines (I won't go there with Ozzie). Later on, you'd have a young Greg Maddux and then the Sammy Sosa Show. 5) Frank Thomas just had this aspect of his personality when he became a superstar that kept him from reaching that same "beloved" status as Jordan and eventually Sosa...you respected the hell out of Thomas and his hitting ability, it's a bit hard to explain, part of it being related to marketing, part of it to perception. Same thing with Carlton Fisk while he played for the Sox, greatly respected but far from beloved by everyone.

Even if Davidson went on the tear of the century, still not 100% convinced they would give him Avi's at-bats in the heat of a pennant race and really trust he could hold down the DH job at the big league level. But maybe it will restore a glimmer of trade value...one of those "down and out" NL franchises might be willing to provide him an opportunity like we sort of gave Mike Olt last year.

Even if Davidson went on the tear of the century, still not 100% convinced they would give him Avi's at-bats in the heat of a pennant race and really trust he could hold down the DH job at the big league level. But maybe it will restore a glimmer of trade value...one of those "down and out" NL franchises might be willing to provide him an opportunity like we sort of gave Mike Olt last year.

That's why we have the Constitution. To protect the rights of the minority from being infringed upon by the majority or even "factions" (feels like the perfect word for this election cycle.) I wondered when I read Greg's line what an internet message board would have looked like in say, 1935, "those pesky Jews, why should we, the Nazi Party be afraid to step on..." Of course, bathroom discrimination vs. holocaust atrocity isn't quite the same thing (nor is Trump Hitler), but the point remains that the system exists to protect individual rights from being trampled. The operative question, of course, is what are those individual rights and who defines them. During the Bush Era, we saw that the Patriot Act could supersede our rights, rightly or wrongly. What are Greg's rights (to be offended or to "protect" his daughter, even it's an imaginary need) vs. the rights of those wanting to utilize the bathroom where they feel most comfortable? What provides the greatest good for the greatest number of people? Are there millions and millions of fellow Greg's out there, a Nixonian silenty majority on this topic that are afraid to join Greg's crusade openly and publicly?

Auteur and Assassin's Creed in the same post? Things that make you go hmmm.... CRIMINAL with Kevin Costner was much better than the reviews give it credit for. Very nifty like CIA/global domination/action flick with Costner playing a baddie or ambiguous character much better than he does the hero. Reunited Tommie Lee Jones, Gary Oldman and Costner from nearly a quarter century ago when those three were all in their primes. Also supporting work from Ryan Reynolds (bit part), Michael Pitt and Gal Gadot wasn't bad to look at, either. Interesting to see her in "domestic drama" scenes compared to just action. Jones acted like he had just shown up for the paycheck, Oldman overracted the hell out of it in fine Nicholas Cage B movie fashion (Quaker Wells, London CIA Chief?) and Costner with his usual earnest approach (Jericho, another "movie" name) carried the film. Worth a watch. Not sure about Self/less, which is also now playing in China. That might be too much Ryan Reynolds for one weekend.

Game over, 6-3 Indians (Gomes hit a homer in the 9th off Jepsen). Still 5 GB. KC and DET still to play. If Baltimore wins tonight, they'll tie us for the best record in the AL again. Last week, they were something like 4 games over .500, and we should have been at +14 after Tuesday. (They beat up on the A's just like the Sox did, and took the first two against DET).

By my count, the Twins will now be up 3-2 against Minnesota on the season series. Even if they were to lose tmrw (Twins), that's a helpful 2 game swing between the Sox and Twins right there in the standings. It's also why "not who you play but when you play 'em" means so much. NY had won 5 of 7 coming into the weekend, and just got Chapman back to form the most intimidating bullpen since the Nasty Boys in the late 80's/early 90's and arguably a better iteration of that trio in terms of overall ability. We will also have the advantage of facing the Royals w/o Moustakas, Danny Duffy without having built up his arm strength after going to the bullpen the first six weeks and Dillon Gee. Finally, the KC pen is just not nearly as good as NY's, simply because Soria and the 7th inning have become such an adventure with Soria, and Hochevar hasn't been as sharp, either.

Anderson again? Or Hawkins? The most encouraging thing about this week (in terms of all levels, rookie ball through Chicago) is the play of Tim Anderson...with so many holes opening up in Chicago over the next couple of seasons, they have to develop at least one position player on their own or they'll run out of resources and end up bargain dumpster diving (which, largely has worked out pretty well this time around, but doesn't work as a sustainable philosophy).

Jose's running speed or the bat speed (slider speed right now)...? Not sure why Jose Abreu is the one trying to change Rodon's arm angles/motion...because Rodon is of Cuban-American heritage and therefore he should pitch like Jose or El Duque. Good thing they're not trying to turn him into Juan Marichal, Fernando Valenzuela or Luis Tiant if he was another nationality.

If you expected a comeback against Betances, Miller and Chapman to happen more than 3-5 times over the course of an entire season, good luck...

Yeah, they were playing that game like it was the last one of the season with either tee times or flights booked. Eaton probably should have made that play...that said, Q just got tentative out there for some reason. Headley didn't have any XB hits coming into this week, two homers in consecutive games and Jose had him down 1-2 and let him get away by pitching too much to avoid contact. Just kind of a weird situation how Jose got dinged up by the worst part of the Yankees' order. Just goes to show there is zero margin for error from the 6th inning on against the Yankees, and why they won't blow this whole thing up early because they want to keep working on fixes for the offensive and starting pitching in order to make a run at the division. Maybe Eaton just isn't completely adjusted to how well the ball flies there in the outfield, because he had that play and the one in the early going that he took 2-3 steps in, reversed his tracks and had to jump a couple of week in the air to snag and prevent a run scoring double/triple. And it's not like Nova is garbage. He was 16-4 in 2011. His stuff isn't as good as back then anymore, but he had his sinker going and almost nobody other than Frazier and then Lawrie could elevate it...unfortunately, Brett's hit midway on the wall and just didn't have enough elevation. Would have liked to stick with Avila one more game because his swing looked so good his first two at-bats yesterday...try to ride a hot streak there like we did with Navarro, but oh well. Twins SHOULD be at the end of finishing off the Indians,up 6-2 in the top of 9th and still hitting. Going into this series, I expected we might give up 1 game with CLE playing the Twins, and Tanaka going on SUN against Gonzalez (we'll see how the weather turns out on that prediction).

Actually, in many ways, the Sportsvision idea was literally and figuratively the first regional sports network, and was, for lack of a better descriptor, visionary....unfortunately, twenty years ahead of its time. Brilliant idea, but terribly executed. It's actually more admirable than the "playing it safe mode" we saw the past three years.

QUOTE (SCCWS @ May 14, 2016 -> 07:14 AM) Not sure I agree. If you even overpay for a player and they lead your team to years of success, it is not awful. If Sale was due next year, I would want the Sox to retain him at all costs even if we had to overpay because I think he is the best pitcher in baseball. I would place the top 4-8 players in baseball in a category that their team needs to retain them as long as they are on the younger side of their careers. So I would give Sale the ranch but I wouldn't give it to Price or Lester for example. http://www.blessyouboys.com/2016/5/13/1167...-it-hurt-so-bad You might change your mind if you're a Tigers' fan and are stuck with the Verlander, Upton and Cabrera contracts right now. As pointed out, they had essentially a decade run of success, including 4 in a row from 2011-2014, but in the end divisional opponent in Chicago and Kansas City have won the brass ring.

QUOTE (oldsox @ May 14, 2016 -> 07:19 AM) I thought it took 4 years to vest in the pension plan. Wrong? That's what I found, but didn't look too deeply. Maybe there are different pension amounts, and 43 days is for the minimum and 4 years is the equivalent of working for 25-30 years in a regular job and qualifying for a "full" pension...like the idea where each year adds 2%, etc. I remember this topic came up constantly with Scott Carroll and everyone rooting to spend enough time on the roster a couple of years ago. http://business.illinois.edu/d-sinow/fin43...20-%20Final.ppt This doc probably has the answer.

But where was the outrage when George HW Bush's son became president...? When Jeb Bush ran? Bush had 9/11 on his watch, destroyed the budget by going unilaterally (based on the WMD argument that turned out to be a farce) into war and spending over 60% of discretionary funds on warfare in Iraq and Afghanistan, passed a Medicare prescription benefit that was completely unfunded...created an environment where the threats against the US were greater than any point since the end of the Cold War and maybe the Cuban Missile Crisis. Oh, forgot suspending personal liberties/freedom with the Patriot Act and torture/Guantanamo Bay, not to mention the Hurricane Katrina fiasco. What is is that you would expect Hillary Clinton to do that would destroy the country? If you've learned nothing, it's that the Clintons gave up on HUGE institutional change after 1994 when gays in the military and the health care reform was met with a wall of opposition and they were nearly destroyed by the Gingrich Revolution....she's going to be very moderate/centrist/establishment, more conservative in terms of her orientation than even her husband. It will be a "status quo" presidency, minus another 9/11 or conflict with China. What is it that you actually want/hope/believe that Trump could accomplish as president that would make our country better? 1)??? 2)??? 3)??? 4)??? 5)??? Would like to see at least three realistic answers of what would be a reasonable expectation for improvements from a Trump presidency... You want to see the consequences of the Bushes, I would highly recommend you read a great non-fiction story by Dave Eggers titled "Zeitoun" and then report back.

I wouldn't say Democrats adore him...many were disappointed/disillusioned on a number of fronts. If you took away Monica Lewinsky, Clinton would have left in 2000 with a 60-65% approval rating. Greg, if your media theory is correct about supporting Obama when there's an election, why didn't they do the same thing in 1968, 1972, 1980, 1984, 1988, 2000 and 2004? You had Democratics in office for only 4/20 years and 12/36. Even now, it's 20/44 dating back to the Kennedy/Johnson years. If Hillary wins this time, it would be exactly even over a 48 year period, basically a half century. And whereas the Democrats for a long time had control of at least either the House or the Senate, they've lost that as well as holding a minority of governorships. Local politics, like city councils, state legislatures and school boards, Republicans have a pretty large advantage still.

More like Turbo Glavine combined with Randy Johnson.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/181983-...er-theo-epstein Here's a long list of at least 10 bad free agents signings that Epstein was involved with in Boston. The major one that sticks out with the Cubs has been Edwin Jackson, and the numbers weren't astronomical, just inconvenient...and it helped to have a veteran presence on those younger/rebuilding teams, no matter how poorly he was pitching, he was always a good teammate/clubhouse chemistry guy. Someone like Ryan Sweeney, once again, "bridge" players to get to your next wave of prospects and hopefully hold their positions competently. If not, you can discard them.

There's no reason to rush Anderson. If Rollins/Saladino are struggling and the team's theoretically falling out of 1st place, the LAST thing they would want to do is desperately try to force him into the line-up until they feel he's 100% ready. Even if you stuck him at 9th in the batting order, that would be a lot of pressure on him to "inject life" back into the offense. Best case scenario is we can manage his starts to the best pitching match-ups in games in August or September that aren't critical because we've already clinched a playoff spot. With how tough the AL is this season, there's no guarantees we get to that place.

Players vest in their pensions after 43 days on the active roster and just one day qualifies a player for lifetime healthcare.