lostfan

QUOTE (ChiSox_Sonix @ Jun 17, 2009 -> 03:52 PM) That really doesn't bother me. Did anyone really think he'd be any different in that area? In fact, I'd rather know less about what goes on behind closed doors, not more. I think he made that promise on the campaign trail thinking it would be easy, then he got into office and saw how that game was played, and didn't want to play anymore. That doesn't explain why he completely backed down on allowing bills to be debated in public for 5 days before he signed them into law, though. That promise wouldn't have been hard to keep.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Jun 17, 2009 -> 03:28 PM) And like I just said to Jorge, my answer is still a resounding no because his BABIP, which is now an unheard of .443 after last night's game, will not remain anywhere near that high for the remainder of the season. Another pretty obvious reason he won't do it is because he doesn't make things happen with his legs. His infield hit % is 3.2 (for his career it's 3.5). The reason a guy like Ichiro would be a better candidate is because he consistently turns outs into hits because of his speed. His IFH% is 14.7 (12.4 for his career). I understand what you're saying here, but it's circular logic. As another poster said, saying a high batting average won't be sustained because he has a high BABIP is like saying he won't sustain his high batting average because he has a high batting average. It's a useful sabermetric tool to see red flags in pitchers, but for hitters, it tells me absolutely nothing useful. A hit that is not a home run is, by definition, a ball in play, so of course a player with a high batting average will also have a high BABIP. If you have a low BABIP it's because the contact you make isn't adequate to get a successful hit, meaning you have a low batting average, meaning you're not that good. I guess I could summarize it by asking this: are the balls that Brian Anderson puts into play comparable to the ones Ichiro puts into play? Lately, Nick Swisher is cited as an example of what BABIP can show you for a hitter (bad luck, abnormally low batting average as a result). I don't need BABIP to tell me that, though. You could tell he had a "down year" just looking at his batting average. His BABIP was lower because... he wasn't doing anything when he made contact. The BABIP and batting average for him pretty much follows the same pattern. Nothing special. Swisher's BABIP is usually ~30 points over his average, Mauer's, around 20 give or take a few points.

I laugh whenever AJ gets walked.

Obama's government has also not been transparent, at all. With the exception of releasing the torture memos.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jun 17, 2009 -> 01:40 PM) Reminds me of the death in Memphis right after 9/11, when that TDOT staffer was found burned to death in her car (she had provided a driver's license to one or more of the hijackers). Unless it really is coincidence... disgusting. I know it's cliche for an American to doubt Iran's actions, but I can't see how it's a coincidence.

Ok, even I have to admit this is pretty f***ing surreal - headline in CNN's latest news today: "Fly bugs Obama, so he coolly smacks it"

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jun 17, 2009 -> 12:38 PM) Oh I agree, overall he's been what he said he'd be. And I'm more positive than negative on his performance thus far. I was just responding specifically to the whole "selling out" thing. Oh, yeah the second paragraph there was just a transition into something else I wanted to say and I didn't need a whole second post to do it.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jun 17, 2009 -> 12:27 PM) I think he sold out on the telecom immunity thing. He sold out on that on his campaign, so, what did people expect there? I'm over that, though. Besides him obviously being two-faced, I don't think the issue itself is what it was blown up to be in the first place. He's been more or less what I thought he was going to be. I didn't want sweeping super-liberal change and that isn't what I was voting for. I figure, there are goals, and there is what you can accomplish as president. That's about what he is. I also know that the entire government is not going to change overnight. Sometimes I wonder when I see certain criticisms from people - would they wake up from triple bypass surgery not even sure if they're going to live yet, and ask the doctor why their LASIK surgery wasn't done?

QUOTE (Rex Kicka** @ Jun 17, 2009 -> 12:18 PM) Well, the guy was making 140K a year as an aide to the Senator. The affair happens, he's no longer working for the Senator - has a million dollar mortgage and less than 30K to his name according to Congressional disclosure.... His public figure boss just slept with his wife.... it's not hard to put two and two together there.... I thought liberal posters here only made excuses for Dems?

As Balta said a few posts ago this isn't about democracy vs. theocracy and never has been, although some of us in the US wish it was. It's about the theocratic hardliners (Khameini, Ahmadinejad) vs. the theocratic pragmatists (Rafsanjani, Mousavi, also by extension Khatami). This has been brewing for a few years now, has now come to a head, and nobody really knows how it's going to play out.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jun 17, 2009 -> 12:01 PM) I twisted my knee last night and can't play right now. Plus, in a few months I'm hoping to officially be Dr. J., and I figure that has to dramatically improve my game right? Anyway, there's really nothing shocking about that article to me, it's not been a secret that the militia movement has for years wanted to get its people in to the military so that they can get free training that they can bring back to their movements. I'm sure the DHS report mentioned it, but that's been out there for years. Decades even. I'd argue that right now it's probably actually better than it was a few years ago, because we're no longer having to slash recruiting standards as much as we were in 2006 when things in Iraq were going so badly. As you said, it's a commonly accepted fact. But part of the process of grasping at straws to find things to manufacture outrage about is the suspension of belief or the willful omission of things you already know.

Ack-muh-DEE-neh-jahd

QUOTE (Soxbadger @ Jun 17, 2009 -> 11:48 AM) The longer it continues, the more serious it is. No matter what happens Ahmadenijad's legitimacy has been seriously challenged. Even if he stays President my guess is that the clerics, etc will try and reign him in so as not to start a full scale revolution. Not Ahmadinejad's legitimacy - Khameini's legitimacy. The rift in Iran is just that deep right now.

QUOTE (Tony82087 @ Jun 16, 2009 -> 10:47 PM) Just picked up the new Red Faction. Good times. I played the first few missions, seems pretty fun. I haven't had the free time to get too deep into it yet.

Hey Balta, here's an alley-oop. Dunk this. http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2009/06/...army/index.html

QUOTE (kapkomet @ Jun 17, 2009 -> 09:16 AM) No one else dares question Comrade Obama... *clicks heels three times and goosesteps to 'Hail to the Chief'* all while saying "there's no place like Washington" over and over. You should really go read Huffpo comments sometime, all they do is b****.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Jun 17, 2009 -> 09:12 AM) How is it true? It's true because it's true. There is no reason for you to see a general practitioner for a recommendation/referral if you have a PPO or the money to request said services -- you can do that freely, anywhere you want, anytime you want. I never go to a general practitioner for referrals -- I go right into the experts office and say I'd like X service please -- but I also work for Blue Cross so I kinda get whatever I want. :> That said, anyone with a PPO based plan can do this, it's only with HMO's that you need referrals to be covered. And there are offices/specialists that only do these types of services, and as I've said before, if you have the means/insurance, they'll perform these tests on you upon request. Oops, I forgot I don't have a PPO (I have POS since I don't need referrals very often and because HMO f***ing blows, I figure if there is a situation where someone needs referrals more than once a year I'll pay the extra money). I stand corrected on that point. My larger point was about the long waits to see doctors though. When I was in the military (coincidentally, government-run, but that's not my point and I don't want a government-run system) my wait times were dramatically lower than they are now. I just find the quality-of-service argument to be not true, in my experience. Although that is probably where I live and who my doctor is.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Jun 17, 2009 -> 08:52 AM) From what I gather, a lot of people seem to think "Universal healthcare" is the same exact healthcare they get now, only they won't have to pay as much -- at least, in theory -- as higher taxes would obviously have to subsidize this. Whatever the case, the point is, they think they will get the same exact care they get now but for far less money, rich or poor, sickness or health. The problem is, that's incorrect. The care will not be the same, nor will the system of getting that care be the same. I keep hearing people repeat how 3rd world our healthcare system is compared to Canada, Mexico, [insert Country Name here], etc...but they leave out a lot of information on these "universal" plans. My advice is to stop watching Michael Moore movies where 90% of the information is left on the cutting room floor to help him make his biased point(s). First and foremost, we have the *best* healthcare there is -- for those who can afford insurance or have jobs that supply insurance...bar none -- nobody with universal care comes close. This is why the highest paid most skilled doctors/surgeons work here, because they get well compensated for said expertise. Now, there isn't a universal plan in existence where you can go to a hospital and say, "You know what, my knee hurts so I'd like an MRI", and have them actually give you that MRI. In the system we have here, you CAN do that, if you have the insurance or other means. People seem to be convinced nothing will change, when in fact they will ask a series of questions -- and if it's determined that you don't have a pressing need to have your knee checked, it won't be -- they'll send you into a waiting list where you'll get to wait 3-4 months (or however long their backlog is) before they even begin to treat you. I'm not sure about some of you, but I like having the choices and power I have to go into any doctors office or hospital I want and REQUEST care because I know somethings bothering me -- if for nothing else other than piece of mind. I don't want or need someone determining if I need a procedure based on my livelihood, or if I can "live with it for now". And I know some of you will deny what I've said -- say how wrong I am and how it doesn't work this way...but it does work that way, regardless of what people in favor of this "free" healthcare say, and that includes Michael Moore. ??? How is this true? If I went into my doctor's office and said "I want an MRI" he would look at me like I was crazy. I have a f***ed up shoulder ATM that will eventually need physical therapy and he did refer me for X-rays (which I have not gone to do yet for some reason), but I didn't just request it, I had to explain it and he examined my shoulder. Furthermore, the time between me calling to set that appointment and actually get seen was about 2 months. Part of this is just me probably having a doctor with too many patients and I need to switch, the other part of it is some mythical version of the American healthcare system I keep hearing about that simply doesn't exist. Granted, you are right, there is not nor has there ever been a problem with the QUALITY of healthcare in this system, no doubt it's the best. That's a paradox though. Quality costs money and at some point, the cost becomes prohibitive. I would love to drive a Lexus right now, and I could probably afford the payments, but it would be pretty dumb of me to go sell my Impala for a Lexus in my current financial situation. That's basic budgeting, and as NSS was saying, that choice has been thoroughly taken away from the consumer in the current situation so it can't even be called a free market.

QUOTE (kyyle23 @ Jun 15, 2009 -> 02:57 PM) Joe Morgan, busted lying, again Next we're gonna find out that Joe Morgan didn't broker the solution to the Cuban Missile Crisis.

So I was at the Orioles-Mets game last night, and the Mets fans at Camden Yards were booing Luis Castillo. lol.

QUOTE (knightni @ Jun 16, 2009 -> 06:15 PM) I like how Vick and Burress are treated more like pariahs than Ray Lewis or Stallworth. lol, seriously. And I'm an animal lover.

QUOTE (robinventura23 @ Jun 17, 2009 -> 02:07 AM) I remember watching Steve Garvey hitting the ball through Durham's legs. I remember my parents laughing at it too. My dad was a Cubs fan then, and that was the last straw. He decided to be a Sox fan forever after that. Hence, me.

QUOTE (mr_genius @ Jun 16, 2009 -> 11:44 PM) Yes of course, opponents of a central health care policy will look for 'support' anywhere they can find it. I'm just saying from my point of view, I can support a plan but it NEEDS to have cost cutting measures in the forefront. A hybrid plan of super high prices with the tax payers fitting the bill is the worst scenerio. Imagine the gouging we will see, everyone can go to the doc for free, yet the doctor may charge anything they please. The costs will spiral out of control, even worse than they are now! Just saying. That's what happened with Medicare originally, before they made rules about it.

This morning I was going to b**** about a Justice Department decision yesterday concerning gay rights where they compared it to incest, and how the Obama administration's direction with gay rights was annoying me so far (gays in the military notwithstanding, I defended him earlier on that). Then, almost as if they knew already, theydid this, letting partners of federal employees receive benefits. Hey, it's a start.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jun 16, 2009 -> 10:37 PM) Beats me, I'm too busy figuring out the activity of iron metal in wustite at variable fO2 and temperature. Stephen Chu can help you with that