caulfield12

QUOTE (Lemon_44 @ Jul 3, 2013 -> 05:25 AM) I was looking at some teams and I noticed the Rockies are screaming for starting pitching. I think a healthy Peavy would be a perfect fir for that team as they need an ace and don't look to have a veteran leader. They have Oswalt, Peavy's buddy, but he has been terrible. I don't know too much about their younger players. Two young guys that are putting up good numbers, and I don't know if they are considered cornerstone players or are being helped by playing in Coors field, are Willin Rosario and Nolan Arenado. Is it reasonable to think a deal involving Peavy could land one, or even both (with additions from the Sox) in a trade? They're definitely not going to trade Arenado. He's their cornerstone 3B of the future.

Jeff Passan, yahoo.com/sports It was time for a boat chase, the sort they craved. Months idling on the open seas left those aboard the Vigilant, a United States Coast Guard cutter, thirsting for action, and in the middle of April 2012, here it was. Somewhere in the Windward Passage between Cuba and Haiti, a lookout on the top deck spotted a speedboat in the distance. "I’ve got a contact," he said, and for Chris Hoschak, the officer on deck, that meant one thing: Get a team ready. He summoned Colin Burr, who had just qualified to drive the Coast Guard's Over the Horizon-IV boats that hunt bogeys in open water space. Before boarding, Burr and four others mounted up: body armor, gun belts and a cache of guns in case it was drug smugglers, which everyone figured because go-fast boats tend to traffic product instead of humans. The chase didn't last long. Maybe five or 10 minutes. Turned out the boat wasn't all that fast. Still, when it stopped, Burr approached with caution. Their assumption was wrong. There were no drugs. Just people, a dozen or so, attempting a defection from Cuba. The driver was an American. So was his partner. An older man was onboard. He was the leader of the passengers, most of whom looked in their early 20s, including another man who drew special attention. He was much bigger than the rest, dressed in a raggedy shirt, shorts and flip-flops. Burr drove the group back to the Vigilant, three or four at a time. They ascended a 20-foot ladder, where Hoschak and others awaited to start processing them. The standard procedure for all migrants, as the Coast Guard refers to them, is to move to the stern of the boat, where they're frisked, given wristbands, white jumpsuits, a shower and some food. Some migrants are combative, knowing the Coast Guard almost always returns them to the place from which they so desperately want to escape, and others say nothing. This group was cordial and cooperative. When a processing officer approached the big man, the first thing he asked was for his name. "Yasiel," he said. One of the most amazing things about Yasiel Puig's rapid rise to superstardom over the last month with the Los Angeles Dodgers is that his adoring masses know next to nothing about him. They buy his No. 66 jersey and bellow at the throws he makes from the outfield and gawk at his monster home runs, and that is enough because his game is so wondrous. If it seems as though Puig materialized from nowhere and became one of the biggest things in baseball overnight, it's because he did. The first 21 years of his life remain almost a complete secret. Part of Puig's intrigue stems from that mystery. Baseball demigods don’t just appear out of nowhere. Even Cubans who defect arrive with some sort of a backstory. Puig is an anomaly: a burgeoning legend without a past. Except for the one those on the Vigilant now know. Every year, thousands of refugees escape from Cuba to make a new life in the United States. They are doctors and lawyers and laborers and students, people who yearn for freedom and are willing to risk their lives for it. Since January 2000, at least 200 Cubans have died trying to defect, according to Gabe Somma, a public-affairs officer for the Coast Guard. In that same time, Coast Guard cutters have interdicted more than 20,000 others before they made it to the U.S. The Vigilant has intercepted hundreds of boats and thousands of people. From drug seizures to enforcing fishing laws, the 77 men and women on the 210-foot ship are the shepherds of the Southeast, patrolling the waters for illegal activity. Migrant enforcement represents one of the most conflicting parts of their job. Coasties recognize they’re denying liberties to people who no longer can stomach living on an island stuck in the 1960s after the U.S. embargo. It is a job they believe somebody must do, even when it means returning to Cuba a baseball player whose potential seems limitless, especially after a debut month in which he batted .436 with seven home runs and 16 RBIs. The last player with as many as 44 hits in his first major league month: Joe DiMaggio in 1936. While the Coast Guard declined to release specific information about the interdiction of Puig's boat, conversations with six men aboard the Vigilant at the time gave Yahoo! Sports an in-depth look into a nearly two-week sliver of Puig's life. Though this was not his final voyage, it offers the greatest insight yet of his tortuous journey to Dodger Stadium. "He stood out from the group," Hoschak said. "The conditions he was in on that boat were terrible. He's got his stuff in a garbage bag. Not really enough food. You can tell." As Hoschak dropped off the migrant boat along with the two Americans at the nearest safe haven in Haiti, word began to filter around the Vigilant that Puig was a ballplayer. Two months earlier, Yoenis Cespedes had signed for $36 million with the Oakland A's after defecting from Cuba. And the baseball fans on the cutter heard about the recent defection of outfielder Jorge Soler, who would secure a $30 million deal with the Cubs. Puig was just a name. He looked the part, but so do plenty of others who can't hit a fastball once it reaches 90 mph. "We all heard he was a baseball player," Burr said, "but none of us knew who he even was or where he had played." Curiosity finally got the best of Carlos Torres. He was the Vigilant’s interpreter – the liaison between Puig’s party and the security team that watched the migrants 24 hours a day – and he wanted to better understand the man with whom he had chatted with for a few days as the Vigilant held the group while waiting for Cuban instructions of when and where to repatriate it. So on April 18, 2012, Torres punched "Yasiel Puig" into a search engine on a Vigilant computer and perused the results. He clicked on a Feb. 11 post at Camden Chat, a Baltimore Orioles fan site that was discussing whether the O's should sign Cespedes. About three-quarters of the way down the comments, a man with the handle "gio2chat" scoffed at Cespedes. He preferred a kid named Yasiel Puig who had thrived during the 2010-11 season of the Serie Nacional, Cuba's major leagues. Because he had tried to defect, wrote gio2chat, Puig no longer was playing for his team in Cienfuegos, off Cuba's southern coast. Torres then searched for Puig and Cienfuegos, and up popped a picture of him in the green uniform. The face and body matched. Puig wasn't just some kid with delusions of baseball grandeur. Long before he enamored Los Angeles, he was making fans in the open water. Torres printed the picture and brought it to the deck where the migrants were situated. He showed it to Puig and the older gentlemen. "Their faces lit up," Torres said. Those small moments sustained Puig. Life as a migrant on a cutter is not glamorous. Because the Coast Guard never knows how many boats it may interdict on any mission, there are no rooms for migrants. Puig and his party spent 24 hours a day outside on a deck with a tarp to shade them from the sun and one wool blanket to keep them warm. They had access to bathrooms, enough water to keep them from dehydrating and three meals a day, almost always rice and beans. In addition to the older man, Puig traveled with a woman to whom he seemed particularly close and a handful of other friends. One was sick and didn't have much of an appetite. Puig got the extra food. Nobody wanted their 6-foot-3, 245-pound meal ticket to wither away. Torres' comfort level with the group grew, and Puig started to tell him about his life in Cuba. During the 2011 World Cup in Rotterdam, Puig said, he and another player tried to defect. Left-handed pitcher Gerardo Concepcion left successfully and signed for $6 million with the Chicago Cubs. Puig was caught, and Cuba banned him from playing, a story that dovetailed with the post on Camden Chat. Puig asked about life in the United States, whether Torres had a big house in Florida, where the Vigilant is stationed, and what life was like where the government couldn't control its people. It was so novel to him, a 21-year-old who knew nothing else. On the good days, Puig would play cards with his friends and wax on about baseball. His older friend said he was better than Cespedes, that one day he was going to play in the major leagues, and maybe Torres could be his agent, take his small slice of the booty that awaited. "Boricua," Puig said, knowing Torres was Puerto Rican, "somebody is going to take a chance on me, and I'll be rich someday. That someday will be pretty soon." Puig was so sure of himself, even though this wasn't the first time he’d been denied. Cuba had not broken him yet, his talent and naivete a potent enough brew to fuel another try, and another, and another. If it meant surviving under the tarp on slop and sleeping on a pebbled deck and waking up at 0700 hours with the rest of the Coasties, that was merely a precursor to his eventual success. A tennis ball signed by Yasiel Puig during his time aboard the Vigilant. (Special to Yahoo! Sports) And yet he knew he was going back to Cuba, and that the authorities would again find him derelict in duty to his country. Even if Cuba's immigration laws were thawing and the country was allowing more and more people to leave, recidivism was especially frowned upon. They could trump up some charges on him and send him away. He'd heard of other players who went to jail for years and lost their careers. One night, the gravity of the situation depressed Puig. Torres could tell the toll his impending return to Cuba was taking, so he went to his locker and retrieved a pair of tennis balls. He brought them to Puig, along with a Sharpie, and asked him to sign. Carlos Torres was the first American to get Yasiel Puig's autograph, looped in perfect cursive with his number for Cienfuegos: "Y Puig 14." Almost two weeks after the Vigilant interdicted Puig's boat, it parked just outside of Cuban water space. Cuba was sending a boat to bring the migrants home. The Coasties thanked them for their conversation, their companionship, their attitude, their appreciation – for understanding this wasn't personal but a policy implemented more than half a century earlier, when the world was a different place. Puig and his friends gathered their belongings and walked toward the ladder. For some migrants, it is the last glimpse they’ll ever get of something American. "I remember as they were leaving, I said [to Puig], 'Are we going to see you again?' " Hoschak said. “He just smiled." Less than two months later, Yasiel Puig landed somewhere in Mexico. Nobody will say where. Or how he got there. Or who brought him. Or whether his friends from the Vigilant came as well. One story, maybe apocryphal, maybe not, goes like this: Mexican drug smugglers ferried Puig to Cancun and held him with the understanding they would receive a cut of his contract. Puig has not confirmed this. He has not said anything about his defection, any of his previous attempts or his life in Cuba. When asked about his time aboard the Vigilant, Puig declined comment through a Dodgers spokesman, other than to say: "The story is completely true." He has told it to others, too. During a recent conversation with his agent, Jaime Torres – no relation to Carlos – Puig recalled the Vigilant with fondness. It was one of his many defection attempts – six, or eight, or who the hell knows. Puig lost track. "He told me a funny story about this," Jaime Torres said. "He had attempted to leave from one particular place. By the third time, the police officer begged him to leave from another place because [Puig] was going to get him in trouble." For the last 20 years, Torres has been a lifeline for Cuban expats. He fell in love with Cuban baseball at the 1987 Pan Am Games in Indianapolis, and the more he learned, the more he felt compelled to help. While players in the Serie Nacional earn a nice living in Cuba, they make pennies compared to what they could in the major leagues. Even though Cuba has allowed star outfielder Alfredo Despaigne to play in the Mexican League this summer, Torres said the government will garnish perhaps 80 percent of the money he makes there. When Torres met Puig in Mexico last June, he said, Puig "was scared. I remember he asked me: 'Please help me. Help me get to the big leagues.' " Torres had scored the first big-money deal for a Cuban player in 2002 with Jose Contreras' four-year, $36 million contract, and he was determined to beat that with Puig. He didn't have much time. Starting July 2, new Major League Baseball rules would limit the amount of money available for international players under 23 years old to less than $5 million. Torres announced June 19 that Puig had defected successfully, and soon thereafter he secured permanent residency that allowed Puig a license to play in the major leagues, something that normally takes months. Scouts flocked to Mexico. Puig disappointed most of them. He wasn't in great shape. He hadn't played in a year. This wasn't Cespedes, who was crushing major league pitching as a rookie. Many saw Puig as another in a long line of Cuban players whose hype exceeded their talent. On June 28, Puig signed a seven-year, $42 million deal with the Dodgers. And the entire baseball world thought they'd lost their mind. Chris Hoschak was about to leave the Vigilant for a teaching post on land last June when he saw the news crawl across the television screen: Puig had made it. He had made it, and he was rich, and everything he told the Coasties had come true. "From a law-enforcement perspective, you're talking about somebody who's illegal, and it's hard to sympathize," Hoschak said. "But when you hear about somebody who has the will to get where they want to go and make it happen, it's a great story. I don't look at this negatively. He's an entertainer. And he's doing what he was put on this planet to do." Hoschak sees the box scores and hears Vin Scully, who called his first game for the Dodgers when Jackie Robinson and Roy Campanella and Duke Snider were playing, practically deify Puig. And it edifies Hoschak because this job he's done since he was 19 years old, the one that leaves his back locking up all the time, allowed him to know baseball’s greatest enigma. Others on the Vigilant don’t hesitate to take ownership of Puig, either. During his change-of-command ceremony June 14 when he ceded his captaincy of the Vigilant, Cmdr. James C. Estramonte joked about how one of the migrants is now making more money than any Coastie could imagine. Carlos Torres still tells stories to the new men and women on the cutter. "Yasiel was part of the Vigilant's history, and we are all happy for it," he said. When Puig Fever seems to crescendo, he finds a way to spike it a little higher. He logged his first four-hit game Sunday. On his Instagram page, he's asking people to vote for him for the All-Star Game, even though his name is nowhere on the ballot. He's not even supposed to be here. The Dodgers wanted to let him mature more at Double-A before summoning him. His baserunning was too shoddy, his fielding immature, his assimilation slow to the life he so coveted in America, as it is for almost all Cubans. Injury and serendipity brought him to Los Angeles, and the All-Star talk isn't far-fetched. Puig is addictive. He washes away all of the flaws in his game with a cocktail of aptitude and panache that plays to the sensibilities of baseball junkies and neophytes alike. Even if June is an aberration, it speaks to the power of one player, the power of a dream realized. Hoschak, Burr and some other Coasties have talked about taking a trip to Chicago or St. Louis at the beginning of August. The Dodgers swing through the Midwest that week. Hoschak is stationed in Charleston, S.C., Burr in Annapolis, Md., and all it will take is a flight and a few tickets to see him again. They want to congratulate him for making it. And so they’ll get to the ballpark during batting practice, and they'll slink up to the railing, and they'll lean over it, and they'll hope he'll see their faces, and in case he doesn't, they’ll know exactly what to do. "Yasiel," they'll say. "Yasiel."

Cubs To Sign Eloy Jimenez By Steve Adams [July 2 at 10:24pm CST] Top international prospect Eloy Jimenez has decided to turn down more money from another club to sign with the Cubs, according to MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez (on Twitter). Jimenez, a 16-year-old outfielder from the Dominican Republic, is regarded as the top international prospect in this year's July 2 class by both Baseball America and MLB.com. According to Sanchez, an announcement should come within the next few days. At just 16 years of age, Jimenez is 6'4" and 200 pounds, and Baseball America's Ben Badler says that his average raw power and flat swing produce line drives -- a combination that could lead to above-average home run power in the future. MLB.com raved about Jimenez in their Top 30: "Considered the crown jewel of the Class of 2013, Jimenez has one of the best baseball bodies available this year and is considered to be the total package. The teenager has impressed scouts with his intelligence, plus-speed, and gap-to-gap power that is expected to improve as he grows into his body." As MLBTR's Tim Dierkes noted earlier today (Twitter link), the Cubs added just over $963K in additional international bonus money in trades with the Orioles and Astros. That glut of pool space has helped them reach agreements with both Jimenez and shortstop Gleyber Torres, whom Baseball America ranked as this year's No. 2 international prospect and MLB.com ranked third.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Jul 3, 2013 -> 12:55 AM) I'm telling you, Crain is not going to bring much at all. He's in his last year of a contract and yes, he does get hurt, and he's aging. What is everybody realistically expecting? I'd say one average prospect and cash. Kudos to Dunn for that month just completed. He does deserve credit. But any team trading for him also is getting Mr. Whiff. Dunn suddenly is not going to be great.A team should not risk much for him. He's not aging, he's just getting overused because he's the most reliable bullpen arm. Look at how well Dotel pitched with other teams after he left Chicago, or how well Joaquin Benoit's doing in the 2nd half of his career as a reliever, after starting out in the rotation in Texas. Tons of relievers do better in their 30's. Look at Neal Cotts making a comeback with the Rangers, or Jason Grilli with the Pirates.

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?g...&mode=video That homer he hit to center field was a good 440-450 feet. The running catch highlight also shows how much speed he has when he gets it going full speed....at his size, it takes some time to accelerate, but when he kicks it into gear he can really fly. Puig again was the catalyst in the 14-hit Dodgers' attack. He has a team-high eight three-hit games. He’s played in 27 games. On this little night of his baseball showcase, Puig had a single, a double off the right-field wall and then absolutely blasted a solo home run over the center-field wall of Coors Field, maybe a good 450 feet -- just to let everyone in Colorado know what all the excitement was all about. It was the second consecutive game Puig had a shot at hitting for the cycle. Needing a triple Tuesday, he struck out in his last at-bat in the eighth inning. www.latimes.com/sports http://espn.go.com/mlb/allstar13/story/_/i...-star-team-joke Papelbon not impressed

QUOTE (Jake @ Jul 2, 2013 -> 11:52 PM) Weird. I know they supposedly made Birmingham a little more hitter-friendly, but I don't think it's enough to explain that. He must have a horrible prep routine or something. Approaching the size of sample and drastic-ness of difference that means something has to be up. Probably just pissed he didn't make the All-Star team, lol.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-leag...-003433422.html 3rd generation MLB umpire Brian Runge fired for substance abuse violation....

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jul 2, 2013 -> 08:49 PM) It amazes me how similar China is to 80's Japan. Part of the Japanese problem was the reliance on the work unit...basically, lifetime employment contracts with companies that were no longer needed or manufacturing high quality products. When I was first in grad school in 92-93, we closely studied the J. Edwards Deming/Total Quality Management style that at the time was working so well with the car companies and electronics companies. As a comparison to the point about lifetime tenure/demotivation Not unlike the productivity decrease you sometimes see with teachers in public schools after they've gotten through their first five years and can kind of coast from that point on. (granted, it's not everyone, but I saw it a LOT in Kansas City...part of it was when you get to be 50 years old or so, you can't easily replace that salary and quite a few teachers just don't have the technology and social networking skillls to adapt and advance in other industries)

“It is nearly impossible to top Jim’s baseball resume with 22 seasons in the game and over 600 home runs,” said Hahn in a release. “When we talked recently about how he could move on to the next stage of his baseball career, an obvious fit was to join this organization, where Jim knows so many people and is immediately comfortable. He brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to this role, and we’re excited to see the impact he will have on both our major leaguers and minor leaguers.” The 42 year old Thome becomes the 11th former White Sox player currently serving as a manager or coach in the organization. He last played in 2012 splitting time with the Phillies and Orioles. “Taking on this new role with the White Sox just seemed like a natural next step for me and my family,” Thome said. “I am excited about the opportunity to make an impact on a major league organization and to work with people I know and respect, like Jerry Reinsdorf, Ken Williams, Rick, Buddy and Robin Ventura. I don’t think I could ask for a better situation than being in Chicago and with the White Sox. ... "I think Jim Thome someday will manage a Major League team," Reinsdorf said. "I think he has that ability. He can be a batting coach, he'd be a great batting coach, but someday he'll be a manager. That's what he'll be. Right now, he's going to be helping us out, evaluating the farm system, evaluating the younger players, he'll be here and be a presence in our clubhouse, come to Spring Training and be a presence. I think it'll be a real plus. And someday he'll manage a Major League team." Thome lives with his family in Chicago, which he said played a significant part in the decision, which came to fruition in the the last 2 1/2 weeks or so. "The No. 1 thing in this whole thing is I get to kind of be at home," Thome said. "Being at home, and getting that opportunity to be around my kid, I coach my son in T-ball, and my daughter, she's 10 years old, going to be 11, it's going very quick. So getting this opportunity to stay at home was really, really good, no doubt." Thome ranks among baseball's all-time leaders in home run ratio (4th, 13.76), home runs (7th, 612), walks (7th, 1,747), OPS (20th, .956) and RBI (24th, 1,699). He appeared in in 529 games over four seasons with Chicago, batting .265 with 134 home runs and 369 RBIs. Some of his memorable moments in a White Sox uniform include his 500th career home run on Sept. 16, 2007, against the Angels, and his game-winning solo homer off Nick Blackburn on Sept. 30, 2008, which gave the White Sox a 1-0 victory over the Twins in a one-game playoff at U.S. Cellular Field. "It's given me everything," Thome said of his career in baseball. "It's given me people that I've met, it's given me friendships, it's given me great cities I've played in, relationships. And ultimately, if you treat people well and vice versa and you have those relationships, you sit here in situations like this and get opportunities. This is my home, this is where we live. This means a lot, to be able to come back and be a part of a great organization that has won and wants to win. I think to be a part of it is great." Thome never "officially" retired after finishing his season last year with the Orioles. But he figures to spend time in the front office alongside Bell and Hahn, as well as in the clubhouse alongside veterans like Adam Dunn and Paul Konerko, as well as helping players all the way down to the Minor Leagues. "The thing about Jim is he has put in a career being respected by his peers and being an honest and up-front guy," Konerko said. "When you talk to Jim, you're talking the truth. Jim is one of a kind. There are a lot of guys like Jim in baseball who are good people but can't match the career he's had, what he's done on the field to go with the person he is. To have one of those in the organization, that's very rare." Thome says he does still occasionally pick up a bat, but this opportunity with the White Sox may give him a renewed opportunity to be close to the competition that still calls to him. "If you can give a kid a piece of advice or be around here and somebody asks you a question about hitting or about the game in general and you see them have success, ultimately, that's the biggest accomplishment of all, is giving back to the game and giving back to young players that want that input and want that advice," Thome said. http://www.mlb.com

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Jul 2, 2013 -> 08:37 PM) I'm convinced China has been gaming the system and it's catching up to them. The term house of cards couldn't be more fitting. China isn't just a worry, but a big worry. I don't trust much of anything they've done with their dubious currency and shadow markets over these years of extreme growth. Yep, they're trying to tighten up the lending from Beijing to the rest of the provinces, and simultaneously tamp down the housing market at the same time...a lot of Chinese I know feel it's going to end up like a Ponzi scheme or game of musical chairs. And they're also loosening restrictions (slowly) over time to allow Chinese to move their money out of the country, so all those people who were forced to keep their money on deposit and accessible for banks to loan out will have some options, such as HK residency or getting Australian citizenship if they bring X amount of money with them to invest, for example.

Hall of Famers who played less than five seasons with the Sox Johnny Evers 1946 1922 Clark Griffith 1946 1901-02 Al Simmons 1953 1933-35 Chief Bender 1953 1925 Eddie Roush 1962 1913 Charles "Red" Ruffing 1967 1947 John "Jocko" Conlan 1974 1934-35 George Kell 1983 1954-56 Tom Seaver 1992 1984-86 Steve Carlton 1994 1986 Larry Doby 1998 1956-57,'59 Roberto Alomar 2011 2003-04

QUOTE (fathom @ Jul 2, 2013 -> 07:20 PM) Two straight years now where Theo and company did a great job of signing someone with the sole purpose of hoping they performed well so they could trade them. Maholm last year, and now Feldman. Mitigated somewhat by screwing up the Dempster deal, getting nothing for Marmol and really looking to be in trouble with the Edwin Jackson contract.

Damn you, Hal Bodley. We all thought we had Bailey for Dye back in the day. 2nd career no-hitter, joins a pretty exclusive group of repeaters.

Steve Carlton at the end of his career... Canseco was fun in 2001, and Bo Jackson, of course. Sandy Alomar, Jr., was it 2 or 3 times? Charles Johnson in 2000. Of the last 20+ years, we'll have had all 3 sure-fire HOF'ers in Thome, Griffey, Jr., and Frank Thomas.

QUOTE (ptatc @ Jul 2, 2013 -> 06:47 PM) How about fred lynn as a comp? ROY and MVP in his first full year. There's a lot of competition that has a two month head start, but obviously if he keeps it up... Gyorko and Everth Cabrera with SD, Ryu on his own team, AJ Pollock, Tony Cingrani...and then the two favorites in Evan Gattis and Shelby Miller. If the Dodgers come back to make the playoffs, anything's possible.

3/5, single, double, homer, #8....6 of them to the right side of the field, 17 RBI's, 2 K's 47/106=.443 Also had an excellent running catch where he must have covered 60 yards to snag it all the way in front of the 1B stands, sprinting in full stride. Second game in a row he's going to have a shot at the cycle in his final AB. Last time, he K'ed, fishing for a FB high and inside out of the zone.

1/1 off Oswalt 45/102=.441

QUOTE (fathom @ Jul 2, 2013 -> 06:21 PM) Yep, it was an incredible game, and then Koch killed all the momentum the next game against Carl Crawford. Damned July 4th game...don't remind me.

THE Lone Ranger and Despicable Me 2 getting pummeled by the critics. Maybe will have to check out "Now You See Me" instead, kind of a stealth hit that's lasted quite awhile in the theaters without much buzz. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1587188/ Try as hard as I could not to do so, I actually liked The Internship...in its predictable, formulaic way, it was pretty funny. Not anything close to Wedding Crashers or Old School, which is an impossible bar to jump over, but decent and predictable, like Raisin Bran Crunch or Wonder Bread.

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Jul 2, 2013 -> 05:30 PM) I think SoxTalk has reached a new low with this post. Hahn has been our GM for a total of 8 months. That's 1 offseason and 1/2 of a real season. The lack of patience on this board is beyond incredible. Can we at least wait until after the trade deadline before we start with these empty threats? Hahn's style isn't so flashy, he's not leaking stories to the national media or being interviewed everyday with cryptic comments like "the Tigers just put themselves in a better position to contend with the White Sox by trading for Cabrera"...low-key dude, comparatively. Cocky, but in a Mark Zuckerberg-ish way. People sometimes confuse perception with reality, and get caught paying more attention to the sizzle than the steak. So, he gets a pass until the end of 2015. Ventura's really the one who should be under the microscope, and his coaching staff.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 2, 2013 -> 04:13 PM) If all you told me last offseason was that Konerko was going to implode and finally show his age, I'd have admitted the Sox wouldn't be competing for the Central this year. Hahn wasn't going to be able to replace him or trade him and no one was benching a 15 year veteran for a free agent signing. If Hahn had some idea that this level of sloppy, ridiculous, unfocused play was going to happen and did nothing about it then I'd endorse his immediate resignation, but I'm hanging that on the managerial staff. And Viciedo regressing, the Beckham injury hurting the defense, Floyd/Peavy injured and Keppinger falling flat on his face the first couple of months (although that was somewhat predictable, but just the extent of fail)...

BUMP...as part of the general philosophical discussion of the future, management, marketing, rebuild vs. reload, etc.

QUOTE (flavum @ Jul 2, 2013 -> 03:34 PM) Mark Parent should be the interim manager after the all-star break. Won't happen, but he should. WHY?

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20...lb&c_id=mlb

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Jun 22, 2013 -> 07:32 AM) I think you already have her invested exactly as you're looking to do here...500 index funds, value funds, etc...unless you go off the wall risky and start buying proshares funds, I don't really see much more you can do with the index/mutual fund market. You could look at individual stocks that pay big dividends, like AT&T, Verizon, First Energy, etc...or perhaps a bit more conservative and buy something like Coke...they pay dividends that equate to 3+% gains...and they're probably pretty safe all things considered. Done, 500 shares of FE at $37.20.