caulfield12

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-leag...-232521671.html Should Mariano Rivera START the All-Star Game? I know, this is MLB Catch-All, but someone commented about the Yankees and their patchwork line-up. Can't believe he's going to retire after fighting to come back from the knee and he's still the best reliever in the game at his age. Or will it be another Andy Pettite/Roger Clemens situation where he keeps coming back?

What I mean is...maybe it's just "fortuitous" timing, but I become suspicious now whenever things are going bad with the major league team and then articles like this come out which are "hopeful" to take the focus away from what's happening on the field now, especially the offense. Maybe it was that whole TWTW thing....where now it's easy to be suspicious about anything the beat writers are being fed by the organization. But yeah, sign 10 of these kids and maybe one of them will eventually make it to the majors. If you're lucky. 1/500 chance he becomes the next Carlos Quentin, Alexei Ramirez or Dayan Viciedo.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ May 16, 2013 -> 08:28 AM) The thread title alone was worth it. Exactly. With the elimination of catch-all threads in SoxTalk, I felt obligated to create more in other areas, haha.

http://shine.yahoo.com/fashion/plus-size-m...-190425777.html She can dance with me anytime, strapless or not. By the way, this particular model has kind of become the "counter-punch" to the waif-ish, size 0 revolution in the last year.

QUOTE (fathom @ May 16, 2013 -> 09:11 AM) Sickels has us taking an outfielder: http://www.minorleagueball.com/2013/5/16/4...-sickels-may-16 That's just dumb, IMO. We'd be a lot better off having our scouts looking for the next Carlos Quentin in AA/AAA or stuck behind a veteran or coming back from injuries than HOPING and PRAYING we can develop one 3-4 years down the line. Imagine how much better our line-up would have been with Choo, DeAza and Rios in the OF and Dunn/Viciedo/Konerko all splitting time at DH/1B and Dayan also getting some starts in the OF. Of course, nobody knew how bad Konerko would struggle.....well, not THIS bad....and we can't be 100% sure Choo would be doing the exact same thing in the AL Central as in the NL Central. Probably not.

QUOTE (bbilek1 @ May 13, 2013 -> 12:39 PM) Agreed. I feel whoever is behind that pitching factory is due for a promotion. Or maybe it is because that is only school in the South with decent academics. Ummm.... Duke, Emory, Georgia Tech, UNC, UT-Austin, Rice, UVA, University of Florida isn't bad at all.

Quintana was amazing his first 10 or 15 starts last year. This year, "merely" good or very good. But he does need to figure out how to extend games at least into the 6th or 7th. Last year, he did a better job keeping his pitch counts down. This year, the league has made some adjustments, he's dealing with a new catching corps and he's had to adjust to RH batters just sitting on his inside stuff...the old "turn and burn" approach. So he's going to have to continue to vary his approach and not become too predictable in his patterns.

Bring on the Mariners!

QUOTE (KPBears @ May 15, 2013 -> 11:16 PM) Pods was better in 2005 (particularly the first half) than Viciedo will ever be. I know it's cool to bash Podsednik on this site, but the Sox wouldn't have won the division, let alone the Series, without him. He slowed down with injuries in the second half, but in the first half he was hitting around .300, collecting a fair amount of walks, and stealing bases at a pace not seen since guys like Henderson, Raines and Coleman back in the 80's. I agree with quite a bit of the Sabremetrics approach, and I'm a huge on-base guy. But there are some intangibles that can't be measured, and a leadoff hitter who can get on base regularly and is a threat to steal every time on base gets in most pitchers heads, and makes things easier for the rest of the lineup. Sorry for the rant, but I will never understand why so many Sox fans hate on Pods. I was referring to Carlos Lee's defense, actually. Pods was much better the 2nd time around with the Sox defensively...but by then he'd already lost that burst and confidence on the basepaths, although he was actually one of our more clutch hitters. As far as the Viciedo vs. Pods comparison, they're 2 entirely different kinds of players. If you remember, Pods didn't even make an impact at the major league level until his late 20's. Viciedo, even though he's seemingly been around forever, is still very young. http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/pro...Scott-Podsednik Pods was 27 and 28 in his first two big league seasons in MIL. He's a career 719 OPS guy. For the White Sox in 2005, he was at 700. Even arguing that Pods at 700 OPS is better or more desirable than Viciedo at 800 (which a lot won't accept), then you also have to factor in the age difference and the potential Viciedo has to continue improving as a hitter.

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20658669,00.html Star Trek review from Entertainment Weekly, an A.

http://herocomplex.latimes.com/tv/agents-o...coulson-return/ Details on the cast of new "Agents of SHIELD" tv series, with Agent Coulson "born again"

Speaking of Trayce, and his brother Klay... By Ben Bolch (LA TIMES) May 15, 2013, 6:00 p.m. OAKLAND — Klay Thompson had just outdone himself and nearly everyone else in recent NBA playoffs. The shooting guard scored 29 points for the Golden State Warriors in the first half of a Western Conference semifinal game against San Antonio earlier this month. He finished with 34 points, 14 rebounds and three steals in a victory. Someone in the family wanted more, though, and you probably don't need two guesses if you're even vaguely familiar with the Thompson family's picky patriarch. Never mind that according to the Elias Sports Bureau, the only other starting guards to match Klay's scoring and rebounding totals in a playoff game in the last 25 years were Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Vince Carter. According to Mychal Thompson, his son should have scored 40 points — because he missed too many layups. These are the perils of being the offspring of a two-time NBA champion and Lakers radio analyst whose expectations are always high. Yet Klay doesn't wince whenever his cellphone rings. "It's good to hear from him," said Klay, a former Santa Margarita High standout. "It's great to go to him for advice." Mychal has dispensed plenty of that throughout a best-of-seven series that resumes with Game 6 on Thursday night at Oracle Arena in Oakland with the Spurs holding a 3-2 advantage. There have been times when Klay has not at all looked like a 23-year-old making his first foray into the playoffs in only his second NBA season. He has been the splish to Stephen Curry's splash, making shot after shot as the up-and-coming member of the duo known as the Splash Brothers. But there have been other times when his contribution has slowed to a drip, his shot betraying him and San Antonio's Tony Parker repeatedly driving past him for layups, as Parker did during a 32-point outburst in Game 3. "Klay came out and was deferring in Game 3," Mychal Thompson said. "In Game 2, he came out on the attack, and that's the difference in the games." Klay was at his best in the series' first two games. He used the length that accompanies his 6-foot-7 frame to play lockdown defense on Parker while helping the Warriors take a 16-point lead late in Game 1. They squandered the advantage only after Klay fouled out with nearly four minutes left in the fourth quarter of an overtime defeat. After brooding over what he perceived as letting his teammates down, Klay responded by making eight of nine three-pointers in Game 2. "I made a lot of new friends that night," he said. "Half of those people texted me after" the game. Mychal's voice has remained constant after victories and defeats, and it's been mostly reaasuring even as Klay's production dipped to 17 points in Game 3, 10 points in Game 4 and four points in Game 5. "It's a blessing to have somebody who's been in the playoffs, been in difficult situations, had good games, had difficult games, all those factors," Golden State General Manager Bob Myers said of Mychal Thompson, who won titles with the Lakers in 1987 and '88. "To be able to talk to your father about something like that and someone who's had that experience is a big positive." Mychal's messages tend to be upbeat, if occasionally tinged with subtle jabs that Klay knows not to take personally. "He thought I played great 'D' on Tony and Manu [Ginobili] in the first two games," Klay said, "but the thing is, it's a very humbling league. In Game 3, you're high on yourself, you think you're playing great defense and Tony Parker goes out and gets 25 in the first half." Klay has always been able to make shots; it's his improved defense that has made him one of the best young players in the league. His feistiness sprouted from backyard battles against older brother Mychel, who played briefly last season with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and younger brother Trayce, a center fielder with the double-A Birmingham Barons, a Chicago White Sox affiliate.

QUOTE (fathom @ May 15, 2013 -> 07:25 PM) Impressive: 1- E. Johnson 2- Phegley 3- M. Johnson 4- Beck 5- Jaye Disappointing: 1- Rienzo 2- Mitchell 3- K. Walker 4- C. Sanchez 5- Hawkins There have definitely been some positives with the farm system so far this year, but the disappointing players were the higher ranked guys coming into the year for the most part. Forgot about Micah Johnson. Never really expected much out of Rienzo. Maybe because any player with PED's allegations (and Flowers was part of this, too) has a bit of a shadow over them. The only other highly rated guy is Trayce Thompson, but it seems like his performance-to-date is about as expected with the jump to AA...although everyone would like to see the BA in the .240's at least and .260's/.270's ideally. Before tonight's games, you could definitely argue Bassit in the Top 5 surprises, too.

FWIW, Price has already made a guaranteed $8.5 million... What is Baseball Was More Like the NFL? http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142412...o?mod=yahoo_itp

http://jezebel.com/5873688/sexy-students-s...-for-being-sexy On a somewhat related topic, has a MALE student's yearbook picture ever been banned/excluded for being too sexy? Pay SPECIAL attention to the comments section below...as it dovetails with the previous discussion on Princess Merida's "makeover." http://perezhilton.com/2012-04-09-jennifer...reast-reduction For those on the other side of the argument, Jennifer Love-Hewitt claims her breasts were covered and reduced 1 1/2 sizes...but that the David Beckham underwear poster across the street was showing "all of his manhood/junk" haha

Mr. Enright of the Angels...he's not so good. ERA of around 13.

http://www.kansascity.com/2013/05/15/42377...aster-fred.html Longtime Royals broadcaster Fred White dies of complications from melanoma. Almost 25 years with the team, was replaced by Ryan Levebvre in 1998. Also did a lot of college basketball...especially Big 12 with Jon Sunvold.

Poor Sergio Santos (well, not literally) added to the AA casualty list of disappointments.

They made a joke with Hahn during the radio interview about "that will get you fired" for quoting "getting to more balls put into play" statistically as a defense of the current team's malaise in the field.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ May 15, 2013 -> 08:05 PM) Goes back to anyone being able to play LF. He didn't play it well. And he was horrible (like Pods and Pierre) at stopping runners on the basepaths. So yeah, you can stick anyone out there, but that doesn't mean they're going to contribute positively if their defense is horrendous and their bat is just average or slightly above average for the position. Viciedo has made a real difference because you have to respect his arm if you're the opposition.

'Brave' creator blasts Disney for 'blatant sexism' in princess makeover By Paul Liberatore Marin Independent Journal Posted: 05/11/2013 06:33:55 PM PDT In this image taken from the Yahoo Shine parenting blog, the different versions of the Merida character are shown. Marin resident Brenda Chapman wrote and directed the Brave film that featured the character, whose original image was inspired by Brenda's daughter Emma Chapman. The character has been made to look more adult ahead of adding Merida as the 11th Disney princess. Marin filmmaker Brenda Chapman, who won an Oscar for writing and co-directing the animated feature "Brave," blasted Disney's sexy makeover of her movie's feisty heroine, Merida, as "a blatantly sexist marketing move based on money." Chapman, a Mill Valley resident, modeled the headstrong Merida on her 13-year-old daughter, Emma, creating her as a role model for little girls. In an email to the Independent Journal on Saturday, she said she has given Bob Iger, president of Walt Disney International, "a piece of my mind" for the entertainment giant's decision to glamorize the tomboy character she envisioned. "There is an irresponsibility to this decision that is appalling for women and young girls," she said, writing from Chile, where she has been on business. "Disney marketing and the powers that be that allow them to do such things should be ashamed of themselves." Disney crowned Merida its 11th princess on Saturday, but ignited a firestorm of protest with a corporate makeover of Chapman's original rendering of the character, giving her a Barbie doll waist, sultry eyes and transforming her wild red locks into glamorous flowing tresses. The new image takes away Merida's trusty bow and arrow, a symbol of her strength and independence, and turns her from a girl to a young woman dressed in an off-the-shoulder version of the provocative, glitzy gown she hated in the movie. "I think it's atrocious what they have done to Merida," Chapman fumed. "When little girls say they like it because it's more sparkly, that's all fine and good but, subconsciously, they are soaking in the sexy 'come hither' look and the skinny aspect of the new version. It's horrible! Merida was created to break that mold — to give young girls a better, stronger role model, a more attainable role model, something of substance, not just a pretty face that waits around for romance." Chapman, the first woman to win an Academy Award for an animated feature, said she has added her name to a petition with more than 50,000 signatures that has gone viral on the female empowerment website "A Mighty Girl," joining other mothers outraged by Disney's sexualization of her headstrong young Scottish heroine, an expert archer with a head of wild, curly red hair and a mind of her own. Signers variously described the new Merida as "vapid," "arm candy," "unrealistic" and "vacant looking." In an official statement to Yahoo! Shine, a Disney spokesperson said, "Merida exemplifies what it means to be a Disney Princess through being brave, passionate, and confident and she remains the same strong and determined Merida from the movie whose inner qualities have inspired moms and daughters around the world." Chapman begs to differ. In basing Merida on her teenage daughter, then a student at Mill Valley Middle School, she said she wanted the movie to be "a contemporary fairy tale" that resonates with today's working mothers and daughters. Her character's image as a different kind of princess turned out to be hugely successful, grossing more than $550 million, winning an Oscar, a Golden Globe and the Bafta Award from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. "They have been handed an opportunity on a silver platter to give their consumers something of more substance and quality — THAT WILL STILL SELL — and they have a total disregard for it in the name of their narrow minded view of what will make money," Chapman wrote. "I forget that Disney's goal is to make money without concern for integrity. Silly me." Contact Paul Liberatore via email at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @LibLarge. Read his blog at blogs.marinij.com/marinmusicman/

Next for the "hand positioning" makeover, Gordon Beckham.

http://movies.yahoo.com/blogs/movie-talk/s...-181258013.html

QUOTE (fathom @ May 15, 2013 -> 06:48 PM) Bassitt with a nightmare start. Pitching struggling a bit in the minors. Even Semien was below .300 last time I checked. Hard-pressed to find any really positive stories, other than Erik Johnson. And Phegley.

QUOTE (TRU @ May 15, 2013 -> 07:00 PM) Obviously I love that we won the World Series in 2005, but the Lee for Podsednik trade was just awful from a trade perspective. We got hosed in that deal, the return we got for a player of Lee's ability was brutal Simple. Lee/Ordonez/Valentin Offloading that nearly $40 million in salary made everything else possible. Then throw in the acquisitions of Garcia (the extension also made possible by the reallocated payroll) and Contreras the season before, it all just came together, along with the emergence of Jenks and McCarthy in the 2nd half. Think of it as a chess move. It improved the team chemistry. Addition by subtraction.