Bananarchy

QUOTE (OmarComing25 @ Sep 22, 2015 -> 09:10 PM) I honestly have no idea who wins the Cy Young at this point. I could see any of Greinke, Arrieta, and Kershaw winning it. Greinke's got the ERA, Kershaw dominates them both in advanced metrics, and Arrieta has the best combination of both. Considering Arrieta has arbitration coming up, does winning the Cy Young affect his salary for the next season? I'm not sure, but I'm sure he's a Cub next year. I think the length of the contract will be the point of contention between teams.

QUOTE (LDF @ Sep 22, 2015 -> 09:12 PM) all these comments here and including mine are simply a guest. my problem has been several things, where were the defensive marks, scratches on Kane??? Kane's body wasn't part of a rape kit. As a result, he was likely not examined at the same time, if at all. next is why are the victims letting kane and company do this pr move. yeah it is a pr move. no marks, high celebrity going about and doing his work. I'm not sure what this is referring to. The press conference was confusing to me, because 1) The investigation is still ongoing. If he's charged, they can't play him, so that pr stunt looks bad. 2) It reaffirms that the center of this SC Winning offseason was an off the ice issue centered around one player. these questions, a lawyer needs to answer, but i am wondering if it is their time to come out. did she have any facial bruising, black and blue hand grips bruising on her arm. maybe the legal team is coming out with a set of statistics showing and further explaining the dna results and lack of dna samples in past cases. The alleged victim's word is an important piece of the puzzle. Her actions are certainly text book for someone in her situation. i don't know. these are some of the questions i had since the dna results and since this started. The problem is always the same with sexual assault, though. My responses are in bold. It's a really touchy subject and we don't really examine the fact that he may have just assaulted her or made her feel threatened, both of which are crimes. We shall see tomorrow I suppose.

8% to Notre Dame? Does that include the bowl game where they get destroyed by a hungry SEC team?

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Sep 22, 2015 -> 09:00 PM) I can't imagine that's a good thing for Kane or the Hawks. Odds are, the damage has already been done. I don't understand why a press conference is necessary. Either charge him or don't.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Sep 22, 2015 -> 08:49 PM) Not sure I'd compare Kane to a crack addict. I'm not sure you've actually looked up Hamiltons past He's done significantly more damage to the Blackhawks brand than Hamilton has done to the Rangers brand. I don't believe Hamilton has been accused of a violent crime. It's less fair to Hamilton. Kane is in the position where he needs a babysitter.

QUOTE (OmarComing25 @ Sep 22, 2015 -> 06:27 PM) Players go where the money is. I can't remember the last time a guy signed a contract because "he wanted to win" and meant it. Fixed. But your point stands. People follow the money, period.

I'm convinced this is what is going to happen. 1) Lawyers don't charge (maybe some civil payoff) 2) NHL takes no action 3) Blackhawks do whatever they can to force Patrick Kane into some sort of treatment for alcoholism. Patrick Kane is a bit of a behavioral risk not unlike Josh Hamilton.

QUOTE (fathom @ Sep 22, 2015 -> 05:11 PM) Zobrist doesn't strike me as a guy who would sign with a team so far away from the playoffs. Agreed. This feels like a Kenny Williams move.

QUOTE (Harry Chappas @ Sep 22, 2015 -> 04:29 PM) The next two weeks will be filled with how the match up orientated Joe Maddon is perfect for the one game playoff where he can bring two starters, ten relievers and how his brilliance will shine. Honestly, the next two weeks are relatively unimportant, IMHO as the Cubs are going to be in the WC game. Would it be nice to catch the Pirates? Sure, but reality is, once they're in, the pressure is mostly off for the time being.

QUOTE (flavum @ Sep 22, 2015 -> 02:29 PM) I don't think that will ever happen. There's always going to be sides...either with the leagues the way they are, or more of an east/west thing. Personally, if the Sox and Cubs ever have to play each other 18-19 games a year, I'm done with baseball. That would never happen. If you just even out the schedule, you would 12 teams 6 times and 17 teams 7 times. There is no viable solution where the White Sox would play the Cubs 16-18 times. In fact, you can almost delineate the leagues that way if you want, where all he teams you play 7 times are in you own league.

QUOTE (flavum @ Sep 22, 2015 -> 02:22 PM) There's no perfectly balanced schedule available. Some good fortune/bad luck will always exist. I'd eliminate divisions and play a schedule that's as close to balanced as possible. Top 3 get in, and the 4th and 5th best teams play one game to get in. I like the one-game thing. It keeps teams in it longer. But when things get overly unfair, I can't stand it. Teams shouldn't make the playoffs because of their location---especially when it's 5 of 15. Agreed. This, of course, will be a lot easier when the NL gives up and adopts the DH, which may be sooner than we think. After that, you just schedule the season with the 29 other teams instead of making league, division considerations.

In lieu of the easy answer which is "None of them", I would still go with Robertson.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Sep 22, 2015 -> 01:50 PM) Chris Hine ‏@ChristopherHine 2h2 hours ago Even though Teravainen was on a wing, Quenneville said he will "likely" be at center to start the season Yeah, I don't want Teravainen at wing. He's significantly more valuable at center.

Yeah, I don't buy it. This just sounds like PR to get him some of the potential big money. He should have taken the White Sox earlier offers and we're so lucky he didn't take those offers.

QUOTE (flavum @ Sep 21, 2015 -> 11:06 AM) How they decide who plays in that game is bulls***. Divisional play and the unbalanced schedule are a pox on the game. Agreed on this. The least invasive way to fix this is to let division winners in, pick two Wild Card, and then seed them 1-5 by League Record. This way, an 83 win division winner does not reap the rewards of winning a bad division. The more extreme way is to remove all divisions and rank them 1-15 at the end of the season. At that point, it gets a little strange. Do you rank them by League Record or overall record? That's the big question. Because if you rank by League record, the interleague games all become exhibition games.

At this point, the Bears are better off losing.

QUOTE (LDF @ Sep 19, 2015 -> 10:24 PM) this is a great update. you are right on top of this news. many thanks for your work. now forensically speaking, if there is no dna proof on any sexual contract what so ever, i find it hard for the courts to continue. is there a case anymore ??? We'll never know whether or not he's a rapist monster, because this won't go to court. Likely, Kane will force a settlement with increased leverage.

QUOTE (EvilJester99 @ Sep 18, 2015 -> 11:11 PM) The key to that is alleged... why would they turn their back on him? I don't think they are putting him in the spot light in any positive way at all. However, they need to make him get some help one way or another. Even if he didn't do this act, he still put himself into a position to be accused. He has to be much smarter than that. Because, ultimately, if Kane did this and he is convicted, you have to fire the entire PR staff and like the team president for damaging the brand. Kane is no longer just a party boy, he's an alleged rapist. You don't want that cloud in your locker room until his presence mean something.

QUOTE (EvilJester99 @ Sep 18, 2015 -> 07:22 PM) I would think since no charges have been filed and he is still innocent, let the man work. If he is charged and found guilty then all the self righteous can come out and label him what they want. If it's self righteous to stand behind the victim of sexual assault, I'm 100% proud to wear the self righteous label. It's an embarrassment to an organization that has built itself on solid PR over the past 5-7 season to parade an alleged rapist out and try to let himself be cleared of the crime out of court. The Blackhawks have completely backed themselves into a corner.

QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Sep 17, 2015 -> 07:52 PM) I have no problem with a late slide but when the base runner extends their legs out sideways to take out the 2B, that's some bulls***. It's cool, karma is a real mother and this s*** will come back around in some fashion. May Kang have a speedy recovery. It's also not real

QUOTE (harkness @ Sep 15, 2015 -> 07:46 PM) Go away Mike Olt... This organization/manager is such a big ball of garbage... Why the F*** is Weasel boy Shark pitching... And WHY MIKE OLT Unbelievable. If I said this, everyone would flame me. Congratulations on understanding the state of the White Sox.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Sep 15, 2015 -> 02:41 AM) Do we have to worry about the Cubs reaching the WS?? Will Pitt take care of Chicago in the one-game playoff? No. The Cubs reaching the World Series should cause you no harm.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Sep 11, 2015 -> 04:35 PM) Yeah but that's the point: if the cheating is helping you win, you're winning because you're cheating. If the Falcons had won a lot and it was attributable to fan noise (which is far less important than, you know, STEALING PLAYBOOKS), I think it would be just as much of a PR storm. The bold is completely wrong. First, we don't know that the footballs helped the Patriots win. Second, the Patriots are winning because they have Brady and Gronkowski, not cheating. QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Sep 11, 2015 -> 04:38 PM) Exactly. At least with steroids, if everyone can do it, you're on an even playing field. Letting franchises go wild with ways to skirt the rules doesn't make an equal playing field. Now it's about how much people want to get away with before getting caught. Oh wait, like college football! Big programs cheat non stop. Because they cheat they win. Because they win they're popular. Because they're popular they get big TV ratings. Because they get big TV ratings, they're rarely caught. And when they are caught, it's usually a minimal slap on the wrist for fear that TV ratings will drop. Every team in the NFL cheats. Just ask JJ Watt. Every offensive player that lines up against Watt holds him. Period.

QUOTE (soxfan49 @ Sep 11, 2015 -> 05:39 PM) Panarin is supposed to be a stud. Every team wanted him and every Russian vet that has been around him expects him to be a star. But Q has to play him. There is a bit of a stigma around Russian players since Kovalchuk essentially legitimized the KHL. The fear is always that unhappy Russian players will go back to the KHL

QUOTE (Thad Bosley @ Sep 11, 2015 -> 06:16 PM) True, and the fans don't have to justify why they stay away from his ballpark in droves. It cuts both ways. Agreed. It takes a special organization to keep Robin after being this bad.