The Sir

QUOTE (fathom @ Jun 29, 2011 -> 08:52 PM) Alexei with just a pathetic at bat. He gets so damn antsy with RISP. I swear, I think Alexei is our worst hitter in these kinds of situations. At least recently he is.

Now he walks Morel for the second time this year. Yow.

Walks the pitcher on four pitches. I'm surprised he's not playing for us...

QUOTE (lostfan @ Jun 28, 2011 -> 06:38 PM) Infantry officer? ROTC? CIA is a process... to me it's just kind of a "name." The clearance itself gets you pretty far if you can qualify for it. Infantry officer but not from ROTC. I went OCS. And that's exactly what I've heard about the CIA. They love hiring from Harvard and Yale and other great universities. Sounds like a really elitist club to me.

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Jun 28, 2011 -> 06:55 PM) That's quite outstanding. And the Coors Effect isn't nearly as big as some people think. That park is massive, and they put the balls in a humidor. It's pretty much in the norm now. The humidor didn't come about til 2002, which allowed Helton to have some ridiculous years at the beginning of his career. The dropoff once the humidor was installed was quite noticeable (he never hit more than 33 homeruns in a season again, and he only even reached 30 four times after that). Also, his home-away splits are telling. For his career, he's hit .354 at Coors, .292 away from it. I think that's gonna impact his chances tremendously. Not to mention, his power has completely disappeared the last seven years or so.

Man, Hawk has the lowest HOF standards of anyone. You're nuts if you don't think Todd Helton is a HOFer? The guy's played his entire career in Coors Field and only has 342 homeruns. His 162 game average is .323-28-103. I could understand arguments to put him in the Hall, but the idea that you're losing your mind if you argue against it is absurd...

QUOTE (lostfan @ Jun 28, 2011 -> 03:41 PM) It's cool. I like you already. lol. Even though we're probably usually going to think opposite things (I did agree with your 2A post the other day, just maybe not as polemically), respecting my point of view or hearing my opinions as valid gets someone a long way with me when I'm talking politics. I was in from February 2001 to February 2008, I was in intel. I still work for the Army, still love the troops of course. I'm just saying though, young Soldiers think they know every f***ing thing about everything and really they don't. It's like the 23 year old college graduate starting conversations by saying "I have a degree and..." before he starts lecturing people on s*** that had nothing to do with whatever his degree program was. I can agree with that. Although I'm 24 year old two years removed from college, so I'll make a mental note not to start any non-criminal justice (yeah, laugh it up haha) argument with the phrase "I've got a degree!" I had wanted to go intel out of a desire to later join the CIA, but I was told it was hard to get that field at OCS. So I almost enlisted so I could have a better shot at getting it when I went to OCS later. But that only lasted a day and I ultimately decided to go to OCS right away. Which is good, because I spent about three weeks at Basic before deciding I just wanted to be an infantryman. And two years later, that's exactly what I am. Either way, intel's a respectable field. You've apparently noticed my love for guns, so infantry just seemed more fitting for me personally.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Jun 28, 2011 -> 05:17 AM) I was. FYI I don't really care what "the troops" think... honestly... that's not something you can just flippantly say out loud I know, but really they don't know any more or less than anyone else who's old enough to vote. Some of them just think and act like they do and that their opinion counts for more (the military is FULL of blowhards like this). That's legit. When were you in? What was your MOS? I wasn't pointing out that most of the posters here probably aren't vets because I was trying to be condescending or put myself on a high horse, if that's how it came across. Most Americans haven't served in the military, and since this board isn't dedicated to vets, I figured it was no different. And I wanted to point out from an insider's view what the consensus was on certain of the president's actions. It might sound really arrogant, but I do give extra consideration to what the troops think. I did so even before I joined up, and I continue to do so now. I won't vote for a president who doesn't have their well being in high regard. And I certainly won't vote for a president who insults them. Just my opinion.

QUOTE (bmags @ Jun 27, 2011 -> 07:09 PM) Reagan also had raised taxes during his eight year term and signed into law a bill that guaranteed the treatment of anyone coming in the ER. What a leftist. He also gave illegals amnesty, clearly he didn't love America. He even appointed a drug czar! He cut the top income tax rate from 70% to 28%. He never raised taxes per se, he just closed loopholes and reduced certain tax breaks. This way he was able to move closer towards a fair flat tax rate while still picking up revenue. I don't want a flat tax because I want to pay less to the government but because I don't see the purpose in punishing the rich for having made more money (and contributed more to the economy and the country). We can start on cutting the overall tax rates once the flat tax part is achieved. And what's wrong with the EMTAL Act? I'd say guaranteeing care is a big element of my rejection of universal healthcare. I want everyone to be treated in the ER, I just expect you to fork over the cash once it's done. US healthcare is the highest quality on the planet (when was the last time someone went to Sweden to beat cancer?), the only problem anyone has with it is that we pay top dollar. I don't think that's a problem...I think that's a case of getting what ya pay for. As for illegal amnesty, he grandfathered a few million into amnesty in return for tighter border controls. It was an attempt to create a definitive end to the illegal immigration problem. It failed, obviously. I don't agree with this, and I don't agree with everything he did. But that doesn't make him a leftist.

QUOTE (danman31 @ Jun 27, 2011 -> 01:35 PM) The problem is all you can do as a leadoff hitter is get on base and steal bases. Scoring runs isn't your responsibility. It's the responsibility of the people behind you to drive you in. Maybe you shouldn't be praising Larry Walker and Todd Helton behind him. I could buy this, except that duo drove in something like 280 runs. I can't blame Juan's relatively low runs total on them.

QUOTE (Alpha Dog @ Jun 27, 2011 -> 02:56 PM) While I don't claim to know how 'America' succumbed, I don't see where the others are that far off. If Bush would have used Executive signings 1/3 as much as Obama has, and bypassed congress with his appointments and had department head make regulations when he couldn't get laws passed, the left side of this board would be going postal. You know this, and to deny that would be a lie. His bowing to foreign heads of state has been well below the angle of respect and to the level of subservience, and he HAS spent a better part of his admin apologizing for America. Obama has also insulted many sectors of the public, although usually the side that didn't vote for him anyway. Bitter clingers, anyone? This. If anyone like BigSqwert or Russ wants to write off my views as "Tea Party bumper slogans", I don't really care. It's a cheap, weak argument, and me or AD could just as easily write off our opponents' arguments as "liberal hippie bumper slogans". But that would just be dumb. So you can ignore me, but that doesn't change what I said. Obama has bowed before multiple foreign leaders, and that's below the office of President. I know you treat foreign leaders with respect, but bowing shows subservience. JFK realized this when he met the Pope. He did not kiss the Pope's ring because he knew he wasn't meeting the man as a Catholic, but as President of the United States and thus the show of subservience would have been inappropriate. Obama hasn't realized this. Also, personally, I'd say the Saudi king is third world, fundamentalist despot. Regardless, friend or foe, POTUS doesn't bow to him. Just off the top of my head: there's the ICE memo. The DREAM Act was rejected by Congress, so Obama has set out to find other ways. That is unlawful. Then there's the War Powers Act. After crucifying Bush for years on Iraq, Obama flat out ignores the same act to which he tried to hold GWB accountable. And then he comes up with excuses as to why he doesn't have to answer to that act. Oh, and then there was his promise a few weeks ago that gun control was being worked on "under the table". This from Mr. Transparency, mind you. I'd figure he was talking about an attempt to ratify the UN Small Arms Treaty. Gun control from the UN, bypassing Congress and violating our national sovereignty. He should be warned that such an act would be treason, and no conservative I've ever met is going to simply give up their guns and go easily into the night. The man has shown repeatedly that he will forgo Congress if he thinks he can get away with it. You guys write off the insults to a good portion of the American population, but how would you have reacted if Bush had said that some people won't ever vote for him because they are "dirty hippies who cling to their bongs and government assistance"? That wouldn't have gone over well. He can insult my culture and my politics and my belief in American exceptionalism all he wants, but it's not winning me over. And since I doubt many of you are in the military, I assure you, the regular troops are none too pleased by his neglectful insult of two of the more heroic men in our ranks. Oh, and may I just mention his unpresidential pettiness? We can start with him spitting on separation of powers with his State of the Union remark about Citizen's United vs FEC. He's free to disagree with the ruling, but that was totally unbecoming.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Jun 27, 2011 -> 01:07 PM) If Reagan were running in 2012 using the same stances from his 8 year tenure he'd come in last place in the primaries and labeled a leftist whacko by the base. Like lowering taxes to stimulate the economy, a strong national defense and less government interference in citizens' lives? Those ain't no leftist principles I've ever heard of.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jun 27, 2011 -> 12:29 PM) Have fun bro. The left wingers are going to be all over you here. And? It's a Chicago-centric board, so I expected it to be left wing. I can handle that. We'll probably never agree on anything, but I have my reasons for believing what I believe and they have theirs. I'm convinced that my way is right, and I'm sure they're equally convinced of their way. But if I simply said, "Oh no! My views will be criticized?!" and ran off, well, that'd be a bit cowardly wouldn't it? If your views can't stand a bit of scrutiny, they probably suck. Besides, if I'm ever in the mood to just be coddled and have people say how totally correct I am, I have plenty of conservative boards and blogs that I can retreat to. This is not one of those places, and that's fine.

I didn't meet him. I shook his hand. In a bored college moment of "let's go and watch famous people talk", I went to a speech he was giving on campus. I was towards the front, and at the end of the speech, I moved close enough, stuck out my hand, and he shook it. And looking back on it, I find it shameful. I never supported the man. So why was I there? Why did I move up to him to be in his greeting line? Why did I act like some fawning idiot for a man I never even liked? I fell victim to the same sort of celebrity love and admiration that I claim to hate so much, and it disgusts me. And forgive me, but the burning statement was probably hyperbole. An attempt to make a strong opening statement, if you will. Would I burn it? I don't know. I'll never know, because I'll never do anything that merits this particular president sending me heartfelt correspondence. I certainly don't understand why anyone would pay $11,000 for something like that. Personally, I love Reagan (surprise!) but I wouldn't give three months pay for a personal letter he wrote to someone else. That's just silly. I am angry about this whole thing to be honest. America succumbed to the superficial charm of someone who doesn't represent her values. Someone who has spent most of his reign trying to subvert the Constitution of the United States and rule by executive fiat (how about the ICE memo to implement "prosecutorial discretion" towards illegal immigrants who have attended college or served in the military? That's the DREAM Act, something long rejected by Congress. Or his far expanded use of czars not approved by the Senate). Someone who bows to our enemies (the Saudi King, for one) and tries to apologize for our status as the greatest nation on Earth (the New Beginning speech in Cairo and his speech to the UN Assembly apologizing for our "arrogance"). Someone who insults swaths of the American public (the "bitter clingers" quote and his recent gaffe by confusing Medal of Honor winners SFC Monti and SSG Giunta). This behavior disappoints me. We deserve better.

Personally, I'd set it on fire. I never would have gotten anything, actually, because I wouldn't have written him a letter for him to respond to in the first place. Especially not one complaining about my struggles. The government is not responsible for my personal struggles, and for the POTUS to promise a better life for me and my family is just silliness. It obviously didn't come true for this woman. We are responsible for our own successes and failures in life; our fates are not controlled by John Boehner or Barack Obama, but by ourselves alone. Additionally, I don't think this particular president would be inspired by a far-right, gun owning, American Soldier. Race is irrelevant in this conversation. Why is it important that he's the first black president? Who cares? I'd vote for Allen West because I agree with the man, but I don't give a damn about a pre-determined biological trait. Race should be irrelevant in ANY conversation, and until it is, there will always be racism. I was talking to a white man sometime after Obama was elected, and he mentioned that he knew of a black man who voted for McCain and how that particular black man must be ashamed. I was baffled. How can you blame a man for formulating his own opinions and thinking for himself? I'd say the racist view would be to expect that man to simply follow the usual Democratic Party line that most blacks take, and to scorn him for thinking for himself. Regardless, the idea that anyone considers a president's race when deciding whom to vote for is ridiculous. In other news, one time, in a moment of weakness, I shook Obama's hand. I still find that sort of embarassing.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jun 27, 2011 -> 06:36 AM) In today's MLB, you can deal with that production almost anywhere except 1b, if he's adequate on defense and you have a couple other guys who are above average with the bats. I don't see why a guy with that sort of production should be anything more than a placeholder. Sweeney really brings nothing to the table. He might be an acceptable placeholder for now, but I'd say Billy Beane is off his rocker if, at least in the back of his mind, he wasn't thinking about a replacement (perhaps a bad example, given Beane's famous Moneyball philosophy).

QUOTE (danman31 @ Jun 20, 2011 -> 10:40 PM) Well that and 30+ stolen bases. Kuhn will never do that. I don't follow prospects at all (I don't give a damn what someone does at Charlotte, it's worthless unless it shows up in Chicago), so I am totally ignorant. But having read this thread, I think Kuhn sounds a lot like Ryan Sweeney. No power, no speed, nothing spectacular in the field, but a good contact hitter. Am I close at all? And as far as I'm concerned, a high BA is only worth anything if you use it to produce runs. Wade Boggs and Ichiro, they got lots of hits, but more importantly, they scored lots of runs. Ty Cobb, he got lots of hits and scored runs and drove them in. A guy like Rod Carew, who had 100 RBIs and 100 runs scored only once, I'm just not all that sure what his great average and high number of SBs are good for. Speaking of which, the same goes for stolen bases. I don't care if a guy steals 70 bases if he only scores 80 runs. Juan Pierre, I know we all hate him now, but he used to get praised. And for what? The dude hit .327 and stole 46 bases in 2001, and with Larry Walker and Todd Helton behind him, only scored 108 times. People think that's some sort of excellent season, but I'd rather have the 1998 Ray Durham who hit .285 and stole 36 bases, and scored 126 times. I'm just sort of baffled by all the love for BA and such. It's kind of pointless. We had a higher BA and hit total than the Nats today, but oddly I don't recall us winning. High BAs are nice because often they're tied to more run production, but if they're not, I don't see the worth in it. Ryan Sweeney hits .286 for his career, but his 162 game average is 71 runs scored and 59 RBIs? Blah.

Want a nice dress watch? Go with a Movado (or a Rolex if you have that sort of money). Want a nice tactical watch? Go with a Luminox.

QUOTE (gatnom @ Jun 26, 2011 -> 05:39 PM) I don't put as much blame on KW as I do Ozzie for how the team has performed thus far, but to say he had nothing to do with it isn't true in my opinion. He is the one who won't do his job and make Ozzie not trot out the worst every day player in baseball (and JR has said that the GM should always have power to fire his manager, so I don't buy the whole he doesn't have to power to set Ozzie straight). He is the one who acquired the injured Jake Peavy and the underachieving Alex Rios. He also spent an extra $8 million on Jackson while Hudson looks every bit as good for 1/8 the cost (and we can't forget that Holmberg is a very legit prospect as well). He is the very reason they had to go "all in" to field a competitive team. If he had been a little bit more wise with his money, we wouldn't have to worry about how this team has to start winning or else it will start to bleed money, and, should they fail to take the division, the whole franchise would be set back years because of how bad he's let the farm system get. I won't fault the Dunn signing, but KW has been far from perfect. Jake Peavy didn't reveal himself as a total china doll until after he came to our side. There was nothing in his history with the Padres to suggest that he was more fragile than...well, something that's really fragile. And the Alex Rios acquisition looked brilliant last year. It's not KW's fault the guy stunk to start this year. Jackson might have been a dumb call, but the jury's still out on what Hudson's going to amount to. Our scouts were never all that convinced, IIRC. And how about all the players he acquired that have really panned out for us? Floyd, Danks, Crain, Thornton, Humber, AJ, Alexei, Quentin...and that's just this year. I guess you can blame him for not strong-arming Ozzie into benching Dunn, but I would say that's more Ozzie's fault than his. Ozzie needs to have some sense and bench someone who's struggling that bad. KW shouldn't have to intrude on Ozzie's job description and handle his business for him. That being said, I will respect KW even more when he just fires Ozzie outright and hires someone who will do the job correctly.

I have a Georgia concealed carry permit, and on July 9th, I'll be taking the class and marksmanship qualifications to get my Texas permit. I own three pistols (Glock 19, Springfield 1911 and Beretta 92FS), a shotgun (Mossberg 590 with pistol grip) and a military style assault rifle (SIG 556). And there's a dozen more that I covet, and plan to own soon, just off the top of my head. As you might have guessed, I'm not a big fan of gun laws. Banning concealed carry would stop me from carrying, but it's not going to stop a gangster from carrying, since he was likely planning to do far worse with his weapon anyway. And laws telling me not to own guns at all would probably work because I'm a law abiding citizen, but it wouldn't stop the home invader from owning them. And it would simply leave me defenseless when such a person shows up to my door. These people are criminals. They get their very label by not obeying the law; yet somehow people expect laws to stop them? It's a bogus thought process. My ownership and purchase of guns have not allowed any criminals to obtain guns. My weapons are in a thick-as-hell safe bolted down in my closet. Unless I'm going to the range or cleaning them or something, the only one that comes out is the one I wear on my hip at all times and then stash under my pillow at night. I practice gun safety as taught to me by the US Army without exception. I go to the range obsessively to ensure that what I'm aiming at is what I hit. I'm not some hothead who's going to shoot crappy drivers who cut me off or people at WalMart who look at me funny. I wouldn't even draw on them, and no legitimate gun owner would. But you break into my casa, or you directly threaten me or my family, and you're going home in a box. And that's all there is to it. When I got that permit from Georgia, and subsequently bought my first gun, I took up a huge responsibility. It's not something I take lightly, and I don't carry a firearm because I want to be cool or tough. It's because I refuse to ever be a victim. I am very serious about gun safety. For that reason, it bugs me that some people think I'm a danger or a threat for owning and carrying guns. I'm not part of the problem; I'm part of the solution. Long live the Second Amendment.

I'll play.

QUOTE (BigEdWalsh @ Jun 26, 2011 -> 03:12 PM) There's a lot of worst things about this game but I would say it was Adam Dunn and his 4 K's. Nah. That's not really surprising at all. I just expect it from Dunn. Personally, I'd say the worst thing is Philip humber pitching like he did and getting a loss for his efforts. The offense should be ashamed.

QUOTE (danman31 @ Jun 26, 2011 -> 03:06 PM) How much of a d-bag is Michael Morse? He has to be juicing again to be not only producing, but to constantly be this excited. There's a lot of d-bags on that team. Hairston comes to mind. It's a shame they got rid of Nyjer Morgan and Elijah Dukes. That would have been a doucher team for the history books. Oh my.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Jun 26, 2011 -> 02:41 PM) I'm kinda looking forward to K number 100 in less than 230 at bats. I've always said if you're going to be bad, at least be entertaining bad. With that said, I wouldn't mind a 475 FT bomb to RF. I'm with ya. I'm curious as to how bad this guy can get. Not to mention I find the boos and fake cheers when he makes contact sort of entertaining. Here's a fun fact: Dunn has 7 multihit games this year. He has 30 multi-K games. He has 11 games where he's K'ed 3 or more times.