The Ultimate Champion

Just generally and not necessarily referring to this exact conversation, but why is it so often assumed that "selling high" means trading a quality, established, MLB-proven player whereas the trading of a valued prospect who has done absolutely nothing is not? Assuming any particular prospect is going to continue to increase, increase, increase in value while betting that a proven player (especially a young pre-arb one) is never going to get better or is never going to be valued as highly again is a pretty bad series of bets and assumptions. Check the "humility thread" for tons of examples of this. I'd trade prospects over Q in a heartbeat if I had to. And I like EJ & Beck a lot, and I love Danish, but if you get Tanaka - even if you trade all 3 of those guys plus a position player and get Castro - what are the odds that even one of them is going to end up as good as Castro or better? Certainly it is possible, and they are all definitely quality pitching prospects, but the odds are that at least 1 of these guys is going to totally suck or never make it, and at least 1 will be sent out in a trade or removed from the 40-man roster at some point and made available through waivers. There's no reason to believe that any single one won't make it, but there's also no reason to believe that the odds are going to overwhelmingly work in our favor. They never do. Even Sale: given the number of huge ceiling pitchers we've drafted over the last couple decades, the fact that we've come up with one ace pretty much meets or falls short of whatever our odds of drafting and developing an ace would be.

QUOTE (The Ultimate Champion @ Jan 20, 2014 -> 02:39 PM) Whoops, I actually just realized I input the information incorrectly. Rather than being today, the report date provided was Jan 1 1900 His true biorhythms actually indicate he will be at the lowest point of his intellectual cycle sometime between the 22nd and 23rd. His emotional state OTOH will be at his peak, which according to the website involves the forming of new relationships. This means he still is likely to make his decision in the next day or two, but his decision will be stupid and emotionally charged. maybe this isn't a good sign for us, and the Cubs are the dumbest bunch of the group. Also, as a point of reference, according to my own biorhythms I am nearing the bottom of my intellectual cycle on the same day as Tanaka. This likely means that up until that point I am getting dumber by the second and my posts are continuously lacking quality. The moment Tanaka signs I will become smarter (as will he) and we will both probably come to regret everything we have said and done over the previous week.

QUOTE (The Ultimate Champion @ Jan 20, 2014 -> 02:23 PM) I already told you guys, Tanaka's goddamn f***in biorhythms indicate he will be making his decision sometime late tomorrow morning or early afternoon because that is the peak of his intellectual cycle. Put in this link: http://www.astrologycircle.com/biorhythm-calculator/ and use the birthdate of Nov 1 1988 Verbatim from the website: "This cycle indicates the verbal, mathematical, symbolic, and creative abilities and skills, as well as your capacity to apply reason and analysis to the world around you. At a high in the cycle, your mind is very sharp, analytically, logically and in concentration. Your creative, writing, decision making skills are at their peak. At the critical phase, you may avoid making decisions and there may be some mental indecisiveness. At the low level in the cycle, you may not be able to judge nor concentrate." And you guys are quoting some jerkoff Cubbie fan like it matters. Like Tanaka is going to make his mind up and, determined to reveal this deeply personal secret before he bursts (no homo), he's going to find the most lowly-ranked human being possible on the other side of the twitterverse and make his intentions known. Yeah right. Look at his biorhythms, that's all science right there. Whoops, I actually just realized I input the information incorrectly. Rather than being today, the report date provided was Jan 1 1900 His true biorhythms actually indicate he will be at the lowest point of his intellectual cycle sometime between the 22nd and 23rd. His emotional state OTOH will be at his peak, which according to the website involves the forming of new relationships. This means he still is likely to make his decision in the next day or two, but his decision will be stupid and emotionally charged. maybe this isn't a good sign for us, and the Cubs are the dumbest bunch of the group.

I already told you guys, Tanaka's goddamn f***in biorhythms indicate he will be making his decision sometime late tomorrow morning or early afternoon because that is the peak of his intellectual cycle. Put in this link: http://www.astrologycircle.com/biorhythm-calculator/ and use the birthdate of Nov 1 1988 Verbatim from the website: "This cycle indicates the verbal, mathematical, symbolic, and creative abilities and skills, as well as your capacity to apply reason and analysis to the world around you. At a high in the cycle, your mind is very sharp, analytically, logically and in concentration. Your creative, writing, decision making skills are at their peak. At the critical phase, you may avoid making decisions and there may be some mental indecisiveness. At the low level in the cycle, you may not be able to judge nor concentrate." And you guys are quoting some jerkoff Cubbie fan like it matters. Like Tanaka is going to make his mind up and, determined to reveal this deeply personal secret before he bursts (no homo), he's going to find the most lowly-ranked human being possible on the other side of the twitterverse and make his intentions known. Yeah right. Look at his biorhythms, that's all science right there.

So did anyone read this article other than ptatc? I thought it was interesting... Coop isn't a fan of the research according to the article, but his opinion isn't really quantified and even though Coop provides a quote making biomechanical research seem unnecessary, it doesn't necessarily mean he'd be against his organization using it. I wonder if we're among those 20 or so teams that have sent pitchers over there? The Rays use it regularly, we should too. I like specifically the idea of bringing a freshly-signed prospect in, getting his delivery down, and then being able to take him in later to test what has changed and make sure that prospects aren't setting themselves up for failure and are indeed making the progress desired. On the other side of that you have the disclosure aspect - the article poses the idea that some teams may not want to know the answers - because if medical records exist which show your top pitching prospect gaining red flags in his motion right as you decide to trade him, if you do not disclose that during negotiations you're trading partner as well as the other 28 teams in the league are going to be pretty suspicious at the very least. Also, I wonder how this differs from what the Cardinals are doing, or if it's a part of what they are doing to a large degree, where they draft guys based on mechanics even with velocity issues and then look to increase velocity. I would assume adding velocity would be safer if in doing so the mechanics are changed slightly so as to be cleaner. But are they doing that? Or maybe they are just looking to add velocity period, regardless of how it happens/what it entails, get these guys through the system and to MLB no matter what, and if you burn through them, so what, it'll probably happen before they're extended to large and potentially burdensome contracts.

100% serious, no bulls***, if the Sox sign Tanaka they should definitely acquire Kawasaki for their bench. Leury can play in Charlotte.

QUOTE (Soxbadger @ Jan 20, 2014 -> 10:06 AM) I thought Swisher would be good. I liked Gio, but thought Swish made a ton of sense. That sucked. That deal, from a value standpoint, was perfectly fair. Swisher was a dog though, easily my most hated Sox player. The Sox were trying so hard to back into the playoffs that year, the Twins just weren't refusing to lose, and then there'd be Swisher watching Strike 3 go right on by him to end the inning and strand another runner, and oh look whaddayaknow, another fun commercial with Swisher's doing to worm on the field. Great. The dump on the Yankees is still one of my favorite KW moments and ranks right up there with the table flipping and going all cokehead apes*** over Jon Rauch when he went to dinner with his family after a game.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Jan 20, 2014 -> 09:56 AM) I recall people being upset about losing Lumsden. Looking back at his numbers, I have no idea why. He had a nice arm IIRC... I think a lefty SP prospect with a big curveball that could hit mid-90's with a developing change? Am I thinking of the right guy? I think shoulder problems did him in. And I think he had already lost some luster by the time we moved him; he was getting to the point IIRC (if not already was at that point) where he needed to be protected on the 40.

QUOTE (Paulstar @ Jan 19, 2014 -> 11:48 PM) The more I think about it, the more I think Castro (or a similar type of Catcher) will be on the White Sox IF the Sox are able to land Tanaka. Getting someone like Tanaka is just a huge boost to the whole win now movement (as evident by how much the White Sox would wind up paying to get him), and if you are trying to win now, you can't go into the season with Flowers/Phegley/Nieto as your options at catcher, especially not since this team is also filled with question marks all over the place. Jason Castro sure seems to fit the mold of what the White Sox want on offense (lefty bat with some power, and has potential to cut down on his k's and increase walk rate) and fits the age requirements for building the contender. I would probably be more than willing to see a Quintana for Castro trade IF Tanaka is on the southside. If Tanaka isn't with the White Sox, then it would be a lateral move. If you can keep Quintana and still make a deal, that's awesome, but I wouldn't want to see either Johnson, Danish, or Semien involved in any deal, and that probably isn't a realistic scenario to not involve any of those 4 and still make a deal. Personally I don't think it's realistic to envision Castro here without including at least 2 of those guys. If there's no Q in the deal then it's going to have to come out of the farm. Just think, if YOU had that guy and then looked at our system, what would YOU demand? You probably aren't going to accept walking away with a couple Trayce Thompsons and a Mitchell or two. IMO Hawkins/Johnson/Beck/Danish/MJohnson/Semien/Barnum - you're probably looking at 3 of those guys and then something like Snodgress or Webb getting added to it. Right now that would be tough to swallow, but if there happens to be a Tanaka deal.... that changes things considerably. You're looking at 2 draft picks coming up, one #3 and the other as high as your typical supplemental first used to be. We'll get a third pick in the top-100 also. AND we're going to max out our INTL budget. AND if Danks comes back to full health, we'll likely be trading him for quality as well. We could afford to make a deal with Houston and replenish what we'd take out assuming Houston likes our guys enough. It's always hard to give up talented prospects, but what are the chances that anyone we'd give up would become as good as Castro is now, and what are the chances the guys we'd give up would even be regarded as highly as those which will be added to the system 5-6 months from now? You always have to give up something good to get something good.

It's funny how SoxTalk is so revisionist when it comes to Gio too. He had questions for sure. Even at our weakest point we still didn't unanimously consider Gio our best pitching prospect; McCarthy, Danks, and Fautino DeLosSantos were all ranked over him & considered to be more exciting.

QUOTE (bucket-of-suck @ Jan 20, 2014 -> 01:33 AM) FWIW, ...told "anyone that calls the Sox longshots in this Tanaka thing are just wrong". All of your posts should appear like this

QUOTE (ChiSox_Sonix @ Jan 20, 2014 -> 08:42 AM) That's quite the limb they went out on there. lol Sounds like a couple of ham-n-eggers to me. If I was oldsox I'd have pointed em to the nearest salad bar & sent them on their way.

^Funny though, how Sox fans regarded the MacDougal-Cortes deal back then may be similar to how Jays fans regard the Frasor-Webb/Jaye deal now.

A similar deal (but a much more reasonable one at the time because it happened in '06 when the pen was a mess) was the Mike MacDougal for Dan Cortes deal. Cortes was an interesting guy in our system (I believe he was used more as a reliever) who converted to a full-time starting role in the Royals system and became their best pitching prospect. Cortes was where some people here saw Holmberg a little while ago.

I argued like f*** over the Brandon Allen deal. He was a solid offensive prospect with huge raw power from the left side, took walks, and was progressing through the system. I personally liked him. We traded him for an arb-eligible reliever who couldn't retire opposite side batters who also was a failed closer. Basically he was an expensive righty specialist who, if he did suddenly became very good, was going to be immediately paid by the arb system. The deal was a dumb one to make but, because we traded an unproven player, it didn't end up hurting. My main problem with that deal wasn't trading Brandon Allen, it was the return, and the idea that if you can't get a better return than that then you don't make a deal, keep the prospect. It's one of the few Kenny moves I didn't like at the time & still don't now.

Well the pitchers show up sometime in February. The catchers OTOH may not show up at all.

QUOTE (ptatc @ Jan 19, 2014 -> 08:58 PM) Got a few pheasants this year. No luck with deer. You should have brought a bag of deer Cox with you. Rub them on trees and then they come to you so you can shoot them easier. Also, were you in a stand?

QUOTE (StRoostifer @ Jan 19, 2014 -> 08:05 PM) This thread has become an deteriorating aging horse, any hunters around? Whatever happened to El Caballo anyway?

I also believe 100% that everything I have just posted will yield 1000X more information than Bruce Levine sextile Boers conjuct Bernstien

Hello MASAHIRO TANAKA, date of birth entered by you is November 1, 1988 based on which your Kabbalah Numerology Reading is as below. Lucky Number :- 9 This number can be used to your benefit to gain more than normal from an ordinary. Lucky Color :- Dark Brown,Dark Blue Wear your lucky color and have a better day. This is derived from your personal number and thus will have appositive effect on your lifestyle. Money Number : - 14 Here benefits can be derived through activities and interests to do with artistic life such as music, painting, and sculptures and even sometimes as a result of entertainment. This number will cause you to be practical in handling money matters. It is possible that quite a number of your activities and work involving money matters will depend on your integrity and honesty. You will always try and use your money in strengthening your financial position. Your acquisitive instincts will help you in making substantial amount of reserves for your future. Money spends on philosophical and religious matters are also there on your cards. First Health Indication :- 9 A fairly strong type of body is ensured by number nine. But you need to maintain the purity of blood and be on the look out that there is a proper elimination of carbonic acid from the systems. Sluggishness in blood circulation should not be permitted for this may lead to blood poisoning and create morbid changes which are very much unfavorable for the health. Legs, ankles and to some extent the eyes are controlled by this number. Any tendency towards varicose veins, affections of legs and ankles or hurt caused to these areas needs prompt attention. First Health Influence :- 9 A fairly strong type of body is ensured by number nine. But you need to maintain the purity of blood and be on the look out that there is a proper elimination of carbonic acid from the systems. Sluggishness in blood circulation should not be permitted for this may lead to blood poisoning and create morbid changes which are very much unfavorable for the health. Legs, ankles and to some extent the eyes are controlled by this number. Any tendency towards varicose veins, affections of legs and ankles or hurt caused to these areas needs prompt attention. Second Health Indication: - 14 General good health can be maintained if you avoid going to extremes in any directions. It gives you a well-formed type of physical body and, it is the strongest physical sign of the zodiac. It is indicative of a good health from a general standpoint. It shows that when you are indisposed you can suffer severely from different sort of ailments. The sign has a rule over the spine and the back, the heart and the blood, and from a structural view point, the dorsal vertebrae of the spine in particular. Some liability to feverish disorders is shown and complaints can affect the parts of the body mentioned. Undue excitement and over activity can affect the heart. ^^^This means something too

Also I checked his biorythms and in 2 days Tanaka is going to be at the height of his intellectual period, right now he's at the lows both physically and emotionally (he's sad probably)

I got a whole lot more of this s***

Mercury Mercury is the most truly sensitive of all the planets. Venus and the Moon are more easily affected, it is true, but for them a better term is "impressionable." Mercury is the adolescent; he responds to every impression like the weather-vane, which is a very different thing from the reception and reflection of every impression. In slightly different language, Mercury is not modified by the signs as are the more passive planets; rather each excites him to give a special expression of opinion. Mercury is, as we know, the mind; and while the contents of the mind are determined by the food of the mind, yet different minds deal quite differently with identical foods. It has been said that thousands of people before Newton saw apples fall from trees, but their only impulse was to eat them. The proper and best influence upon Mercury is Saturn, and without his steadying hand to hold him in tutorship to a profounder wisdom, Mercury may be frivolous and vain. It is only when Mercury is overpowered by Venus that the mental qualities become subservient and slavish, so that one may say of the native "he has no mind of his own." There is, however, always the safeguard of the proximity of the Sun, especially when the conjunction is not too close. Mercury in Libra The fine and delicate judgment given by Mercury in Libra is at once its virtue and its vice; for in practical matters rough-and-ready decision is often of more value than accuracy, and the insistence on the latter which this position gives, if exaggerated, means hesitation, vacillation, and delay. There is generally a quick intuitive flash of conviction followed by the attempt to weigh the decision logically, which is often dangerous. The better policy would be to train the mind to follow its intuitions. It is the old story of the ass who starved between two thistles because he could not decide which he would eat first. In matters where mind is the sole consideration, however, Libra is as good a sign as can be found for Mercury. The Venusian nature softens the metallic coldness of the Mercurial nature, and Saturn being exalted in Libra, there is an added element of wisdom which pure reason lacks. The real drawback is in the airy nature of the sign, which may give a certain looseness and even frivolity to the disposition of the mind. There is usually great ambition for intellectual accomplishments, but little inclination to labor to attain them. The mind easily becomes distracted; sometimes we may find the native "Jack of all trades, and master of none," as the saying goes. Such people, too, have the defect common to the open mind; they form an opinion after long and careful study, and yet may abandon it at a moment's notice on quite inadequate grounds. The sensitive balance of the mind makes it very difficult to speak positively about such people without the fullest study of the whole horoscope. With this position we find the most varied accomplishments. Great mystics and artists like Coleridge, great lexicographers like Sir Richard Quain, great statesmen like Kruger, great lawyers like Lord Brougham, great theologians like Savonarola, great scholars like Erasmus, great philosophers like Cornelius Agrippa, great rulers like Queen Elizabeth I, great actresses like Mrs. Langtry, great courtesans like Cleo de Merode - all come under this possibility. One cannot tell merely from the position itself along what lines the mind may move, or even how it will work, as Mercury in this sign is more sensitive and pliable than in any other. The position may, however, be called good; it is rare to find a thoroughly incompetent mentality with Mercury in this sign; such an event is unlikely to occur unless there be serious affliction. Unless, however, there are some good aspects to strengthen Mercury, the mind is likely to be shallow. Mercury in the Third House Much activity; many short journeys; much writing; a busy mind, given to the pursuit of various knowledge, especially literature and science. Venus It may, on first consideration, appear somewhat difficult to differentiate between the action of Venus, the "Lesser Fortune," and that of Jupiter, the "Greater Fortune." Both represent the expansive and altruistic spirit. But Venus is the handmaiden of the Sun and she is consequently attached to the vital force, even as Jupiter is more closely an emanation of Neptune, the other extreme of the system, the Soul. The altruism of Venus, therefore, means love in a quite conventional and often selfish or personal sense; her expansiveness is often mere amiability, possibly assumed in order to gain some end associated with the instinct of self-preservation; and, finally, Venus is altogether more material and, so to speak, fleshy, than Jupiter. Venus in any sign has so much connotation or reference that it is very necessary to take into consideration not only the sign in which it is placed, but also its aspects to other planets before judging of its effects. But the importance of the impact of the different signs is very great. In fact, the more material a planet is, the more easily it is influenced. We see no such violent commotion in the vaster planets; Uranus in Aries is not so different from Uranus in Libra, but Venus in Gemini is utterly different from Venus in Scorpio. In dealing with Venus on the lines hitherto followed with the other planets, we are confronted with a difficulty peculiar to the nature of her own influence. It is easy to observe most of the effects of other planets in the life, character, and work of great men, but we know little of the inner details of their domestic and intimate relations. Alexander the Great may have beaten his wife, and Cromwell may have been a very clever and tactful father, but in the majority of those examples which have hitherto served us so well, we know little or nothing of the private life. And it is essentially, and first of all, the private life that Venus influences. The reader must, therefore, be content to rely, to a certain extent, upon the authority of the author regarding the influence of Venus. Venus in Libra Venus in Libra is in her own house and, on the whole, stronger even than she is in Taurus. The only drawback to her excellence comes from the airy nature of the sign, which, conflicting with her earthy disposition, tends to diminish her domesticity. It is also important to note that Saturn is exalted in Libra, and in dealing with the aspects of Saturn and Venus it is shown how generally sinister is his effect upon her. In this sign, the Venus quality tends to be mysterious and bizarre, and suffers dark and inexplicable perversions. The ordinary bourgeois is usually very afraid of people having her in this position. She is too fine and subtle for the average man. The amatory side of Venus is not obvious; the feeling is refined into aestheticism. People with this position, however, often possess sincere affection, but it is important to express such affection more on the mental and spiritual planes than on others. The limitations of marriage are keenly felt. On the artistic side this is the best sign for Venus. She gives a magnificent sense of proportion, harmony and color, which can amount to genius, as displayed by Julia Marlowe, the popular Shakespearean actress. Vulgarity and blatancy are very distasteful, and uncongenial surroundings cause extreme unhappiness, and upset the nervous system. With all this there is a great love of simplicity in art. The Egyptian, Grecian and Chinese styles are preferred to the flamboyant and rococo. Thus we see that, when Venus is in Libra, love is nearly always more and less than love, as understood by the average man. It is, to some extent, a religion, possessing its own ritual. Where disappointment occurs, the feeling is not that of a wounded heart, but rather as if a blasphemy had been uttered, or a crime against God committed. At times, the religious feeling in connection with this matter amounts almost to fetishism. This attitude often causes the native to dread the commonplace exceedingly, and, endeavoring to avoid that Scylla, he may be devoured by the Charybdis of the abnormal. Perversity of one sort or another is consequently common. This may not be actual vice - it results from refinement, delicacy and imagination. Venus in this sign is released from earthy bondage. She takes wings and flies. She dwells in realms of air and the worst torture which she can suffer is her enchainment by bodily expression or material condition. Not only is a marriage of convenience impossible to her, but even true love may be revolting as soon as it takes physical form. It is in some ways not altogether fortunate that so important a branch of life should be thus divorced from what Nature evidently intended as its limitation. Love was originally intended as a mere physical appetite. Its exaltation as amorism, romanticism, mysticism, aestheticism and the rest are superstructed, built upon that basis by the idealism of the Great Architect and His fellow-builders on the aspiring human plane. The reader must not forget that Saturn is exalted in Libra, and, for this reason, there is much melancholy in the sign, which therefore transforms Venus from her simplicity, frankness and laughter into a subtle, secret, and somewhat austere Goddess, to be worshipped in secret shrines, rather than in the meadows. She is not content with offerings of flowers; she demands human sacrifice. Of course, this is only a description of the action of this position on a single plane. The escape from flesh may be into many different fallacies. The effect of air, to which element Libra belongs, connects it with intellectuality; not only is it the ideal which is adored, even on the material plane, but the ideal frequently roots itself in devotion to causes of a religious, artistic or humanitarian character. In this connection we may mention the names of St. Augustine, Madame Blavatsky, Georgia O'Keeffe, Frances Willard and Elizabeth Stanton. We have more characteristic examples still in Edward VII, and Queen Elizabeth I. Here the influence of Libra as the judicial sign is very evident. These two monarchs were unquestionably the greatest diplomatists that ever occupied the throne of England. One sees a similar subtlety in Annie Besant. The position has a more obviously physical influence in the careers of Cleo de Merode and Oscar Wilde. But the most powerful illustration of its aesthetic perfectionism is afforded by T.S. Eliot. Here Venus and Mercury are rising on the Libra Ascendant. Venus is not sufficiently big to bear the whole weight of destiny. No amount of support can make her anything but yielding. Even in the most favorable cases, therefore, there is an element of possible disaster. Sooner or later, the clay pot bumps against the brass pot and is smashed. Louis XVI is a particularly striking instance, with Venus trine the Midheaven and sextile Neptune. All his tact and sympathy failed to meet the situation which confronted him. Those born with Venus in Libra are extremely careful about their surroundings. Harmony and beauty are as necessary to them as the air they breathe. They are much more particular about the manners of their friends than about their moral standards. They possess great personal dignity and a certain seriousness of attitude toward life which makes them almost pontifical. They possess charm, tact, a gravely sympathetic manner and much real kindness of heart. But they never allow this to degenerate into geniality. They dislike familiarity and do not allow anyone to take liberties with them. There is a certain gaiety in the disposition, but it is kept below the surface. Frederick MacMonnies had a stellium with Venus in Libra and his famous "Bacchante" might almost do for an astrological picture of this position at its brightest. There is always the feeling of the dance in Libra, but it is not the vulgar dance which is a mere expression of animal spirits. These exist, and exist strongly, but they are veiled by the religious instinct. The dance is, therefore, a religious dance, a subtle and esoteric ritual "inscrutable to the profane." In its highest expression, therefore, this position of Libra becomes almost divine. The perversities which have already been described may be considered as the trials of a pilgrim. At the end of the journey is the palace of that truth and beauty which are one. Venus in the Second House Money comes readily, and is frequently gained by artistic pursuits or the drama. In a man's horoscope, it denotes that much is spent on pleasure and the opposite sex; and in a woman's horoscope, that a good deal goes in dress and finery. But in spite of everything, money is always ready at hand. Mars Mars represents the muscular system; it is often found that a weak brain goes with great development of physical strength, and vice versa. It might even occur that the whole of the higher faculties might be harmonious and strong, yet fail to make good, owing to the lack of practical energy, boldness, and capacity for rather brutal work. The material plane continually presents obstacles to the higher nature; Mars is the force which pushes such obstacles aside, or demolishes them. His external influence upon the man as distinguished from his internal influence within the character, is that of excitement, inflammation, violence, and accident. Thus a square of Mars to the Sun might give a rugged constitution and dauntless energy, and at the same time subject the native to fevers and accidents from fire or steel. The power of Mars will, of course, as before, be modified by his position in the Zodiac, and, owing to his material and therefore easily-molded nature, the variations will be, on the whole, more extreme than we have found to be the case with planets of greater spirituality. Yet so great is his importance, that a badly afflicted Mars practically inhibits the native from making wise use of his enormous energy. It is a curious and somewhat paradoxical situation, and the student cannot pay too much attention to its study. Mars in Pisces In Pisces Mars reaches the very depths of misfortune. The sign is watery, receptive, sensitive, and psychic - the very antithesis of the fiery, dominant, brutal, and material planet. Very few people with this detrimental position, unless strongly aspected, reach any remarkable goal; even the greatest men are so hampered in their external expression that their greatness passes unremarked in a world that can only be conquered by battle-axes and sledge-hammers. A great tragedy of the Victorian period stands witness to this fact. We have already called attention to the horoscope of Sir Richard Burton. Uranus is conjoined with Neptune, and four other planets fortify the complex. Mars himself in conjunction with Venus and semi-sextile to Saturn, is lord of the Ascendant, while, without much straining, these two complexes may be unified through the Moon and Mercury. Here, then, are the nine planets all more or less related, as in the case of Shakespeare; and truly the mind of Burton was no less than his. Yet the effect of Pisces on Mars is so deadly that the whole of his externalization was nullified. He should have been Viceroy of India and Governor-General of Egypt; but, as he himself said, he "possessed every talent but that of making use of the others!" Erasmus was another individual of rare distinction - the greatest scholar of the Middle Ages. But here again there was no capacity for externalizing his powers; even poor old Cornelius Agrippa had a far greater influence in Europe; while Paracelsus outshone both. Lord Curzon would have enjoyed his sumptuous life as Viceroy of India more if the Venus-Jupiter opposition that forms the focus of a Grand Fire Trine Kite pattern did not also square Mars in Pisces in the ninth house, which became the focus of a Mutable T-Square. He was a bold world traveler and a social reformer, but he suffered from constant back pain and, after he sent Francis Younghusband on an expensive expedition to mysterious Lhasa, his career became erratic, never achieving the Prime Ministership to which he aspired. Vincent Van Gogh's Mars in Pisces conjoins and squares emotional Venus and the Moon. In Michelangelo's more fortunate chart, Mars trines both Saturn and Uranus - a Grand Water Trine. These deep geniuses left the world richer, but were as unworldly as Neptune, the ruler of Pisces. The world may have trouble seeing or appreciating the higher planes where Mars in Pisces strives. Nell Gwyn has this position, too, but Mars is a very curious planet in the case of women. It is difficult to assert anything positively with so little evidence as is forthcoming, but one may suspect that Mars and Venus are counterchanged for feminine horoscopes rather as are the Sun and the Moon, though not so effectively. In any case, Mars has the trine of Jupiter on one side and that of the Moon on the other, which would amply redeem any radical weakness of the planet, especially as he is rising. Mars in the Eighth House The marriage partner spends the substance of the native; strife concerning the property of deceased persons; danger of a violent death; losses by fire and theft.

OK you guys I know youve all been asking for this & I finally got this done, here's Tanaka's natal chart & infer from this what you like.................. Horoscope for Masato Tanaka PLACEMENTS Rising Sign Leo Ascendant Leo was rising at your birth; a sign belonging to the element fire and of the fixed quality. This gives you an open, candid and honorable disposition, magnanimous and generous. You have dignity and self-confidence that will sustain you in trouble and difficulty, and that will bring you to the front in life if you use your opportunities wisely. You do not under-rate your own value, but are ambitious and masterful with large and far-reaching aims and schemes. You have some degree of pride and fondness for display and ostentation at times, and the sense of the dramatic is strong in you. You have a warm heart and ardent affections and make a very faithful friend, one not liable to change or vacillate. You are compassionate, tender and sympathetic, and anxious to give help to those who need it and to protect those who need protection. Your pride is rather easily touched, and anger is sometimes quick to rise, but you are a forgiving enemy and prefer peace to war. You have a firm strong will and do not readily change your course when you have once decided on it, but are capable of persistent effort extended over a long period. You are cheerful, hopeful, sociable and companionable. Your feelings and emotions are quickly roused, you are rather fond of luxury and pleasure, and may need to put some curb upon this side of your nature. The Sun is the ruler of the sign Leo. Sun The Sun stands for the individuality, just as the Moon expresses the personality. It also governs the constitution and is the Life force and backbone of the whole system. Where the Sun is strong by position of aspects, it gives strength of character, a powerful will and a vigorous constitution, all of which contribute toward making the life successful. Where the Sun is weak, there is danger of short life or one broken by spells of illness or much misfortune. It cannot be too strongly emphasized that an analysis of the meaning of every factor in Astrology is dependent upon its relation to every other factor. For instance, the Sun in each sign has a certain definite influence which it invariably exerts, but that influence, thus exerted, is combined with every other influence of the Sun in its house position and in its aspects, as well as in reference to the ascending sign and other planetary positions and aspects. Thus, it is from the sum of the forces and not from each one of them separately judged, that an analysis is made. The reader should remember, therefore, that to read the analysis of the Sun in the signs as it follows, as an analysis verbatim of the solar position in a nativity, to read it except as one of the forces of a nativity to be united, accentuated or modified by the other factors involved, is not scientific astrology and will not give a true interpretation. The statements true in themselves, must be united intellectually, in each particular nativity, with other particular factors of that nativity; and then, and only then, are the peculiarities of individual instances described. Sun in Scorpio The Sun in Scorpio, the house of death, is very strong, but the native is very likely to suffer violence. It is quite frequently found that people with this position suffer from diseases which bring them to a premature end, as for example R.L. Stevenson and Stephen T. Crane, or, when badly aspected, they may meet a violent death like Marie Antoinette, President Garfield and Stanford White. This is physically the most magnetic sign in the Zodiac. There are three main types, classed respectively under eagle, serpent, and scorpion. But in every case, an extremely forceful and dominating personality is to be expected. With even the best types, the appearance is often somewhat austere. Tremendous will-power is evident in every line of the countenance,, which is frequently what conventional people call ugly and occasionally this native bears scars. This rather formidable appearance is, however, frequently combined with a kindly disposition. However dark and forbidding may be the countenance, the nature has yet the fascination of the serpent. The native is easily aroused to anger, and makes a most dangerous enemy, for he cannot be trusted to fight fair, as with Leo, but will take any means in his power to injure his antagonist; nor is he held back by any feeling of pity, but will go on to the bitter end. Occasionally, this is so pronounced as to cause actual defect in the fighting quality. But it is doubtful if any sign in the Zodiac illustrates so markedly the contrast between the spiritually awakened soul and its opposite. Crafty and cunning, with intense passions and jealousies and with a vindictiveness which will wreak insatiable revenges, the Scorpio native becomes, under higher impulses, indefatigable in his desire to help mankind, and his coldness and insensibility to the sufferings of others is transmuted into devotion and self-sacrifice. The coolness of demeanor and stern sense of justice and integrity, together with uncontrollable desire for freedom, may degenerate into harshness, selfishness and discontent, or blossom into efficiency, sympathy and true generosity. Where the Sun is fairly well aspected and Mars is free from affliction, the constitution is extraordinarily strong; the resisting power is greater than with any other sign. The native is capable of infinite hard work and is most dogged, persevering and tenacious in carrying out his plans. He does not, however, go at them like a bull at a gate. He is always exercising his intelligence to out-maneuver his opponent. Where Scorpio assumes the eagle type, the noblest qualities of Mars and the Sun are found combined, and there is a certain, subtlety and intellectuality about them which come more from the nature of the sign itself than from either of the planets. There is no better sign in the Zodiac for commanding success, but this success nearly always comes through bitter fighting. There is a strong tendency to science and all other branches of life which demand the blending of the two qualities, energy and subtlety. Provided that the Sun is strengthened by some good aspects, it is as favorable a position as could be wished for him. At the same time, the student must never forget to expect something secret and sinister in the nature. Scorpio rules the glands of the pelvis and, from its opposition to Taurus, often affects the corresponding parts in the neck and throat, but its most special signification is in connection with the organs of reproduction. Scorpio is particularly to be feared in the recurrence of Cancer after operations, for such secondary growths are usually glandular and such diseases are more dangerous than ordinary local afflictions of the reproductive organs. Sun in the Third House Possible fame by writings. Some honors fall to the relatives of the native. The name becomes famous in good or ill association. Moon The Moon has to do largely with personality, just as the Sun has to do with individuality. The sign in which the Moon is placed describes the type of the personality, showing its variety and quality just as the Sun shows the type and quality of the individuality. As the personality is the intimate and more immediate expression of the temperament and measures the quality and power of sense impression, and therefore the scope and precision of the mental forces, it indirectly determines what we might call the fluid of being. Moreover, as both mental and emotional forces depend first upon sense impression, and since personality is that singular union of the mental and the emotional, it follows that the Moon's position is the focal point wherein sense, mind, and emotion meet in the formation of character. The Moon largely determines the kind of life and activity with which the average human being meets life day by day. Moon in Cancer The Moon in Cancer is in her own house and she is stronger in this sign than in any other of the Zodiac. Its receptivity, placidity, and sensuousness are in complete harmony with her nature, and the Moon being dignified in the sign also tends to make her disposition less changeable, while the influence of Jupiter, who is exalted in the sign, takes away something of her coldness. The senses of the native reflect with extreme accuracy the impressions presented to them. They sink into the mind and dissolve completely in it; the mind takes their mould with exquisite delicacy, but there is one drawback, in that, as a rule, there is little tendency to act upon the information they received. The mind is not idle, but rather meditative. Reaction is slow and uncertain. As a rule, the native lacks the intense energy which we associate with great creative genius, unless there are other indications in the horoscope; and these have to be pretty strong to overcome what may be called the contentment of the mind to remain passive. In the case of Sir Isaac Newton, we have a sextile of Mars to supply energy, and he is decidedly the most creative of the people on our list. But, even in his case, we observe the extreme thoroughness of reflection necessary to him before he began to give out again in a new form his deductions from the facts which he had absorbed. Baudelaire is another great creative genius, but his Moon is trined by Mercury, and yet this reflective quality of the mind is apparent, in the extraordinary repose of such writings as the "Little Poems in Prose." It follows, more or less, that the native will not go out of his way to obtain mental pabulum. This state of contentment with such impressions as come naturally to it may reveal itself as love of home and parents. There is usually a great deal of natural affection of the placid order; even the passion of love is likely to be gentle, peaceful, and perhaps romantic, when the Moon is in this sign. While the mind is not restless, it is very sensitive to impressions, though not at all in the way which we observed in the case of Gemini. There is no desire to acquire, merely a readiness to do so. One must be careful not to seek to upset the minds of people with this position, even for their own good. They will merely dislike you for doing so. It occasionally happens that the mind is psychic or mediumistic, but in any case the memory may be considered good. Blake is a first rate example of the Moon in this sign at her best. The position is not really so good for women as for men. It makes them too passive, too easily influenced by those with whom they come in contact. Nell Gwyn is a notable example of this disposition. The women with whom the native will come in close contact will be extremely warm-hearted and affectionate, sometimes maternal and sometimes romantic. Their affection will be enduring, and it may even be somewhat cloying. With bad aspects, the native may be seriously injured by the character of the women in his or her life. Byron, for example, with a retrograde Uranus in close conjunction with his Moon, was almost destroyed by women. It is probable, at all events, that they will be somewhat conventional and exacting, demanding more from the native than he will bestow upon them. Mothers having children with the Moon in Cancer must avoid being so devoted and conventional in their attitude toward them as to make them too selfish or too dependent on the home influences. Many boys with the Moon so placed suffer from the "Oedipus complex" and later remain bachelors, or do not marry until after the mother's death. Moon in the Twelfth House Female enemies; many secrets touching the native; danger of restraint or enforced retirement; love of mystery; fanciful fears; success in isolated positions and remote corners; voyages.

agrees with the research it is still an interesting thing to read given where we stand with controversial deliveries from the likes of Sale and Danish, and here also as we sit waiting on word of Tanaka and also considering where we will sit this next June wondering about taking a pitcher with our #3 pick. http://sports.nationalpost.com/2012/10/23/...g-biomechanics/