caulfield12

QUOTE (fathom @ Feb 9, 2015 -> 06:51 PM) Lego Movie has been such an incredible discovery for my kids. My Chinese wife just didn't quite understand the humor and mostly the cultural references...and a lot of times the translations online aren't very accurate either. It's criminal how that movie got overlooked by the Oscars and Golden Globes. Frozen was a huge hit here. Big Hero 6 is coming soon here, that's a very good one as well.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Feb 9, 2015 -> 06:15 PM) I agree, if Montas can prove it at the AA level and dominate as a starter, I think he would soar through the rankings and become a very valuable trade piece when our rotation could be locked up for a long time (assuming Samardzija resigns) Hopefully he follows the Yordano Ventura trendline...he didn't come out of nowhere, but it sort of felt like it. Both with explosive stuff and their array of doubters. Where was Ventura the last two years on the Top 100 lists?

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Feb 9, 2015 -> 02:35 PM) 1) Didn't that series sell 100 million copies? I don't think many people got sick of it. I know a lot of women, my wife included, who read them and thought they were pretty terrible, yet somehow "managed" to finish all of the books. 2) I thought pre-sales were really strong, especially in the conservative-oriented South? http://www.fox16.com/story/d/story/arkansa...4kUWAjH0NrFNDEA I'd like to see more substantive evidence than that. Ridiculously small sample size. I don't even understand how they could claim AR and MS are the two highest in the country with those numbers...maybe the first state to have a theater sell out in pre-sales, but that's still pushing it since the theatre is very small compared to the majority of multiplexes in the country. At any rate, I believe a lot of moviegoers are also waiting for some of the initial reviews. If it's trending more like a Cinemax-quality movie than something you'd pay $10-15 for....plus, we all know with an R rating that the majority of sex scenes are getting cut, so what are you actually left with if you strip all that away from the movie? At metacritic and rottentomatoes, no critics have been able to screen/review it yet. That's USUALLY a bad sign, 90% of the time.

The Rays and the Padres are the two-dark horse teams, although anything's possible with SD these days, seemingly. TB desperately needs some type of "win" for that fan base after all the disheartening losses of coaching/front office staff/talent from the roster.

QUOTE (Heads22 @ Feb 9, 2015 -> 05:32 PM) Woodbury also isn't very good at basketball He's typical of most highly-recruited seven footers who get immediate playing time but take a lot more time to develop. Considering that Dominique Uhl and Uthoff would be playing post without him next year, they're still better off with him than without him. And he's played a lot better the past couple of games when Iowa has seemingly turned the corner.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Feb 9, 2015 -> 02:10 PM) I am not trying to be really smart, just showing the guy who thinks he is really smart making all theses claims like eye tests tell you nothing, steroids won't make you a great hitter, that again, he is wrong. Sosa was a great prospect, though. He was smaller (The Panther) and more agile, better arm (Top 5-10 in the game) and running ability and projected to be a 12-18 homer guy when he was 18...that's why the White Sox preferred Juan Gonzalez in the Harold Baines trade, but Texas wouldn't give up both Gonzalez and Wilson Alvarez. Still, everyone could see he was a five tool potential superstar. Now, of course, his second season with the White Sox was a borderline disaster and got him traded for a "win now" George Bell, but that's another story. The other corollary example always used is Gabe Kapler, who had an incredible training process but was never more than a complementary player in his career. No matter how he honed his body (legally), it didn't make him anything better than a player who was hanging on to a 24th or 25th spot on a roster.

Did the writers even include 2014 statistics in their evaluations? Why should Almora even be in the Top 100 at this point?

QUOTE (Tex @ Feb 8, 2015 -> 07:48 PM) Capital punishment is capital punishment. Each group has its own laws and ways of carrying out the sentence. Balta, the SA argument should would also apply to SA, (San Antonio) TX. We execute a fair number of people each year for crimes that we find serious. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/20...tates-geography Removed law. There was once a Texas law that prohibited the milking of another person's cow. The penalty: $10 In Texas, individuals or groups seeking to modify the weather must first contact a local newspaper. The requirement is part of the Texas Agriculture Code. Not a law. It's not against the law to shoot buffalo from the second floor of a hotel. This alleged law is included among a plethora of other "strange Texas laws" on several websites that explore the subject. Removed law. Before this law was revised in 1973, it was illegal to plant Johnson grass—a destructive weed that kills crops—on another person's property. In western Australia it is still a hanging offence to steal your neighbour's dog.

Is the 5th book of the GOT series worth reading? After watching the all 40 episodes last week, I decided to read the books. Struggling with #4, especially the parts about Lady Brienne searching for Sansa Stark. The book really is dragging without much mention of Bran, Jon Snow, Tyrion or Danaerys. Personally, I think Terry Brooks is still the best fantasy writer alive today. He botched his Star Wars "moment in the sun," but I've never read a series like the Shannara books in the 1980's that could go on for hundreds of pages and I wouldn't even want to put it down once. Perhaps being in middle school and high school made those particular books more impactful? I guess others favor JK Rowling, then there's Robert Jordan fans out there as well.

QUOTE (LDF @ Feb 9, 2015 -> 02:26 AM) yeah, i know what was being meant. i was trying to disfuse the comment by trying to make a joke from a mel brooks movie. dang, rough crowd. however you should at least given me props from know the quote from the movie. For some reason, I thought it was Clint Eastwood at the beginning of Gran Torino...he said something similar to that about the Hmong. Of course, he grows to respect them greatly by the end of the film.

It's a far cry from the $144 million, Zach Greinke Dodgers' deal he was aiming for a year ago.

QUOTE (Chilihead90 @ Feb 9, 2015 -> 01:30 AM) Chris Cotillo ‏@ChrisCotillo 53m53 minutes ago Sources: #Padres in agreement with James Shields on four-year deal. Includes club option for fifth season. Chris Cotillo ‏@ChrisCotillo 52m52 minutes ago Shields deal is pending a physical. Expected to be in $72-78 million range over four seasons. #Padres Eric Stephen ‏@truebluela 42m42 minutes ago The Padres won the Wil Myers / James Shields trade Depends on how Shields performs, and when/if he gets injured. He should be okay in the NL West, one would think. They still have a current outfield of Kemp, Maybin, Myers, Quentin, J. Upton and Venable, lol. They've already traded Seth Smith. Maybe the White Sox should reacquire CQ for LaRoche's at-bats against lefties? Maybin would be an interesting piece as well (4th OF), depending on how much salary they were willing to eat.

I don't remember ever hearing reports about Marin throwing in the mid 90's. Who knows...he might have made some delivery changes. As for Cuba, Gourriel and Frederich Cepeda continue to be "win now/MLB-ready" names....if they ever defect. If my memory is correct, Cepeda is a 34 year old LH corner outfielder, played in Japan last year....seems like he would be a perfect 4th OF in the current MLB environment. Has Despaigne been playing?

QUOTE (Brian @ Feb 8, 2015 -> 05:49 PM) I can't imagine 50SOG being good or living up to the book without being NC-17. http://www.filmibeat.com/hollywood/news/20...html#slide75896 I have a feeling it's going to be a huge disappointment. If it was Charlie Hunnam in the Christian role, I would have watched it as a big SOA fan, but only my wife will want to see it now.

QUOTE (Brian @ Feb 8, 2015 -> 06:38 PM) That's what I thought but this is the 3rd time, someone said. It happened twice in the Wisconsin game. http://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=AwrSbm7vDth...Lg0Ftpw2FAVhUs- Leading to an ongoing back-and-forth with Dakich and McCaffrey in the media.

QUOTE (Reddy @ Feb 8, 2015 -> 06:47 PM) Ortiz was terrible until he was 28 or 29 Terrible is kind of relative...it's not like he put up Viciedo's numbers his first three full seasons in Minny.

Waiting with bated breath for anyone in the next two weeks to admit to seeing either Jupiter Ascending or 50 Shades of Grey. Fwiw, the Wachowskis are nearing M. Night Shymalan territory. They're down to maybe two more "big budget" failures if they're lucky. Could be just one. As for 50 Shades, I think they're being very optimistic. It's not really a suitable Valentine's Day movie in terms of material/content. Whether it will draw women together for "Girls Night Out" like Magic Mike is highly debatable...still believe there's enough of a stigma attached to attending movies like this in the theatre that most will wait to view it via other formats. Many enjoyed the first half of the first book and quickly got bored/lost interest in the whole phenomenon. Then again, could be a massive underestimating all those "bored housewives" and/or hidden BDSM world. In the end, I'm predicting American "grassroots"/Middle America conservatism to win out. Those same moviegoers who've made American Sniper a huge hit, in other words. http://pro.boxoffice.com/featured_stories/...-shades-of-grey

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Feb 8, 2015 -> 05:05 PM) Adam Dunn had 2 seasons in his career where advanced stats said he was more valuable than The 2014 version of Alexei Ramirez, mwho was supposed to be falling apart 2 years ago. I'll believe it when I see Alex Gordon and Jason Heyward get $100+ million free agent contracts coming off merely "decent" (775ish OPS) offensive years. It's one thing to overweight defense...or exploit seeming oversights (first it was OBP, then outfield defense....now it's bullpen construction and shifts). It's quite another to build an organizational philosophy around it. At any rate, we shall see.

QUOTE (Reddy @ Feb 8, 2015 -> 04:58 PM) Sorry, it was a 1 WARP according to BP. He had a 3.57 FIP and a 9.1 VORP, making him our third most valuable pitcher last season. He had a .339 BABIP. He was unlucky. That's where the "eye test" and studying game after game of video comes in... Looking at positioning, how many of the "unlucky" hits are liners versus infield singles, etc. The fact of the matter is that no matter how unlucky you supposedly are, eventually your manager has no choice but to pull the plug when your teammates lose confidence in you. I don't think we've ever seen a post-game press conference after the 3rd blown save in a week where the manager trotted out FIP numbers or VORP as a defense, because it sounds like an excuse or rationalization for not getting the job done, not bowing your necking/cinching it up and hunkering down (insert other Will To Win Hawkisms here). At least, it hasn't happened yet. Maybe in front offices...but not coming from the actual coaching staff.

That's what Chris Beck has been doing for two years now. Conserving his strength and keeping his pitch count down. It is pretty telling that the manager of a 3-time World Series winner (populated with great arms during those runs) looks at a strikeout more from the standpoint of wearing out the starter than from the productive out side of things.

http://m.mlb.com/news/article/47432098/ant...ces-offensively "It's a big difference," said Brewers third baseman Aramis Ramirez, a 16-year veteran. "I don't think it's a big deal now if you strike out 120, 130, 150 times a year." "Striking out is not a bad thing sometimes. It is [bad] when you need a productive out. But it makes the pitcher log more pitches." -- Giants manager Bruce Bochy There was a time when strikeouts were humiliating, to the point that the mere notion worked its way into other elements of our culture. If you asked a girl to the prom and she denied you, what happened? You "struck out," in the parlance of your peers. Worse yet, in many states, habitual offenders became subjected to "three-strike laws," the slang of a sport directly impacting the particulars of imprisonment.

Unless we're to believe 80-85% of the steroid usage was among power hitters and that they don't give pitchers as much of an advantage. Or the ball has been changed physically again.

QUOTE (Brian @ Feb 8, 2015 -> 04:07 PM) Hutton is high energy. Moss, I have no clue how he got a D1 scholarship. He has never stood out in a high school game. Must be an AAU type kid. Good to hear. They're going to need some guys next year who can come off the bench and provide instant offense, or, in Hutton's case, lock down a player defensively. Over the last twenty years or so, Iowa hasn't had many of those athletes....Marble always had a "score first" mentality like his father. You have to go back to Haluska/Brunner/Horner for an Iowa team that had a real chance to get to the 2nd weekend...and then the Reggie Evans/Luke Recker team that imploded at the turn of the century. Texas, Syracuse, UNI (Des Moines), Iowa State, WISKY (2x), MSU and at Purdue (without White for 2nd half). That's an impressive list of losses, to go with beating UNC in Chapel Hill, sweeping OSU and now crushing MI (on the road) and MD. They came back to almost beat Purdue but have also played terrible against in-state schools, Wisconsin and MSU in the 2nd halves of games. Not that it's a sin this year to lose to the Badgers.

By the way, has anyone seen Brandon Hutton (De La Salle) or Isaiah Moss (Simeon) play? Those are the first two Chicago players Iowa has recruited in AGES. And they've also got a kid from basketball powerhouse Oak Hill Academy coming in (Andrew Fleming)...it will be a lot of fun to watch, at least, anything's better than Lickliter/Alford in terms of style of play. These are the 6'4" to 6'7" swing guys they need, if they can get enough from the frontcourt...and they have played basically with four guards already at different times this year. Then you have Conor McCaffrey in 2017...who could become the best guard has had since Jeff Horner. EDIT: I can't believe that Woodbury's going to be around another year. He's only a junior. Gesell Jok Uthoff Uhl Woodbury That's your starting five. Probably not an NCAA team unless those four freshman can make a big impact right away. Clemmons and Trey Dickerson are your other two guards/back-court depth.

Iowa out to a 25 point lead over the Terps. It seems MD has been overrated for most of the season. For Iowa, other than playing at Indiana, they should be the favorite in 7 of their last 8 games....which probably means they'll go 4-4, haha. Actually, compared to last season when the "great collapse" began at roughly this time, this Iowa team has actually been getting better and better. Next year will suck, as you can't replace White/Olaseni/Woodbury in one year, but hopefully they can get back in the Top 25 again and pick up their recruiting/athleticism. Dominique Uhl figures to become a much more important player next year, and Uthoff might have to play more 4 (if he doesn't go pro, he's got the game for it) than he'd like, but it will be interesting to see how McCaffrey "rebuilds" on the fly. Feb 12 vs MINN 7:00 PM ET Feb 15 @ NW 3:00 PM ET Feb 19 vs RUTG 8:00 PM ET Feb 22 @ NEB 3:00 PM ET Feb 25 vs ILL 9:00 PM ET Feb 28 @ PSU 6:00 PM ET Mar 3 @ IND 7:00 PM ET Mar 7 vs NW TBD