Flash Tizzle

QUOTE (ScottyDo @ Feb 19, 2010 -> 07:14 PM) That's a pretty big reason. You guys are quoting me too quickly.

Even if Jones and Kotsay exceeded everyone's expectations and did well in their DH roles, would anyone be fooled into bringing them back for the spot in 2011? I guarantee, bad or good, those two won't be the DH past this season. And I understand that if both of them did well in their roles they'd probably look for full-time work, but I just feel that there's no excuse for their placement except for Williams not having enough money left over to fill the position. That, of course, is entirely his fault. It's very convenient that he can use the "Ozzie wants these type of players" excuse to justify it.

QUOTE (WCSox @ Feb 19, 2010 -> 06:46 PM) Way to ignore PK, Beckham, Quentin, Crede, Griffey, Swisher, etc. I hope that you're not trying to argue that some of the on-paper talent that Kenny has put in the field in the recent past is consistently inferior to what MIN trots out in a typical year. You're just making a parody of my parody at this point. My post was just to point out that around those crappy roster fillers for the Twins were quality players.

QUOTE (bmags @ Feb 19, 2010 -> 06:43 PM) It's not a contradiction at all. KW made this team the way it is, and when you are spending 100 million already and have the best pitching staff of your life it's good value to spend another 5 mill on a DH to help further ensure a pennant. I think the solution is that the sox much earlier on should've put a lot more money into the draft and player development. We'd be in a lot better shape if we did. We haven't...and so we only have andy gonzalez's to plug into our system when we can't afford half of the veterans salary. Doesn't it seem like we've been coming back to this solution for YEARS? I know I have. If you put your money into player development, and sign those draft picks exceeding slot recommendations that other teams look over, you'll have a better shot of saving money down the line and avoiding situations such as the one's we're in. An intelligent, well run organization should always strive to have several quality pre-arbitration players on its roster. Even just one player makes a difference. Imagine if we didn't have Beckham around. That'd be a whole another problem to deal with, wondering who the hell will be at second base.

QUOTE (WCSox @ Feb 19, 2010 -> 06:25 PM) It's called adhering to a budget. Most teams can't spend $60M on their pitching staff, over-pay guys like PK, Rios, and Jenks, and round out every other position with $6M+/yr veterans like Damon and Matsui. The Yankees and Red Sox can, but the White Sox can't. And until the Sox become an elite revenue team, that isn't going to change any time soon. Frankly, I'm more pissed that the Twins can win the division semi-consistently with crap like Alexi Casilla, Carlos Gomez, and Delmon Young in their starting lineup.... yet we can't win with elite hitters like Jim Thome and Jermaine Dye in ours. Maybe we need to steal their hitting coach. Well, around those crappy Minnesota hitters are the likes of Denard Span, that mead head Morneau, Mauer, Cuddyer, and Kubel. Just as around Thome and Dye were 661 AB's in 2009 split among Lillibridge, Fields, Wise, and Anderson. Also, I can understand the unwillingness to budge with Boras if Damon's demands are excessive; but ultimately, Williams put himself in this position. It's embarrassing that we enter 2010 with Jones and Kotsay splitting time at DH.

QUOTE (Swingandalongonetoleft @ Feb 18, 2010 -> 01:51 AM) If Damon doesn't happen and JD is willing to look at things from a reasonable point of view (moneywise, positionwise) I don't see why he can't be brought in at the last minute yet. Let him knock himself out in the field every once in a while and devote the rest of the time to justifying the letter 'H' in "DH". Teahen wearing 23 would end just as soon as the ink dried from Dye signing a 1 yr $Notalot contract with some incentives. Jesus, please, can we not create scenarios that involve Dye fielding. I think about it like this -- if I was Dye, and I knew no one was willing to sign me under my terms, I'd simply accept the DH role and then complain later on when I'm on a hitting streak. Well, no better team for that to occur than the White Sox. Move on from him. I'd rather have Jones and Kotsay and endure the embarrassment of their failures so we're forced into seeking better options. Really, I'd be all for Dye; but I know full well you just can't go from campaigning tirelessly for a fielding position (with hilariously bad excuses) to suddenly going along with what everyone outside his agent is suggesting. He obviously has a part of him unwilling to accept his deficiencies in the field. Let him take a year off to think about it. Or go to another club where he hasn't been friends with the manager since 2005, and is at risk of finding himself in the field several days a week.

I've seen enough of this and turning singles into doubles, doubles into triples forever.

QUOTE (The Beast @ Feb 10, 2010 -> 04:40 PM) The approach seems to work, I just haven't developed my personality yet. What I mean by that is I haven't really fleshed out yet who I want to be. I used to be a deep introvert who was opposed to social events and was satisfied with limited contacts, nights of video games and doing nothing but World of Warcraft and other bulls*** of the like. Now I am going out, trying to polish up on some social skills I missed out on my first year of college and am generally just wanting to have a good time and meet new people. That sounds like a good approach to take. I just need to remember to stay clear of the friend zone and get to know something concrete about her. Two questions -- I'm going to be 22 and I think the appropriate age range is 20-24. I don't go for 17-19 year olds. Is my age range a good target? What's more important on getting, the email or the phone number? Funny you mention that - the guys I have hung with generally don't have girlfriends and the one who has a girlfriend is friends with a bunch of b****es. Not to mention they are all the artsy type who latch onto their little clique of friends. The concept of being cocky and funny is foreign to me. I'm the guy who gets too caught up in the friend zone. As far as Valentine's Day goes, if I was back home I would definitely treat my current female of interest out and indulge in a long evening of sex. Sure, it works for picking up women who aren't familiar with your personality; but you cannot fake who you are for an extended period of time. As others have said, it's not worth manufacturing a personality to women based upon tricks and scenarios intended to build attraction. Even my post earlier concerning no-contact (which many frown upon) was intended more towards people who have known each other for awhile, not two who have just met. I'll be nice and answer your questions, even though I immediately think back to the "What do teenagers like sexually?" days of WSC245 with your post. 1. The age range you listed is fine. 2. Don't ask a girl for her email. Either ask for her phone number of ask if she has Facebook. You have to be fine with rejection, too. The worst she can say is "no," and more than likely she'll give it even if she has non intentions of dating you. You're much better off asking after talking to the girl the whole night. At least remember her name (if you forget it, you're done), and a few other random things about her. Girls are constantly hit up by guys trying to dive into the juiciness, so if you set yourself apart you have a better shot. I shouldn't have to say that, but since you obviously have limited experience in social settings, it seems warranted. What I always told myself before a school presentation, and it can apply here as well, is -- will what you do be remembered 10 years from now? Unless you do something that ridiculously bad or good, it won't be remembered. Thinking this way will help your confidence, which will appeal to any woman you talk to.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Feb 9, 2010 -> 01:48 PM) There is such thing as getting in and out of the friend zone. Some guys just feel sorry for themselves once they get into it and dont realize that playing hard to get works both ways. Make her want you. If she doesnt, then the "fish in the sea" adage still fits One of the most effective ways to make a woman want you is to ignore her. It sounds counterproductive, and it is bit manipulative, but I notice guys always seem to think, "if I'm there for the woman she'll see it and begin to like me!" Attraction doesn't follow logic. Every girl loves attention. Even if she doesn't think of you as a boyfriend she'll keep you around to pump up her ego. Then when you take something she does as a sign, and make a move only to be rejected, you're left wondering what the hell happened. When a girl likes you, she makes it clear. I've never dated a girl who didn't make it painfully obvious from the beginning she wanted to be with me. Everyone should understand this about women, too -- they are conditioned to have men chase them, but when they're interested in a certain guy they will do anything to be with you. Hell, I can remember when two girls liked a good friend of mine, and these two -- who had been best friends for 20 years -- were fighting each other over a person they had just met a month prior. It works for guys too, but women more than men would push aside their best friends for the right person.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Feb 8, 2010 -> 05:45 PM) So tomorrow is forecast for another 10-20 inches of snow tomorrow (it will be the same storm that hits the Midwest apparently). If the last 2 storms are any indication, by about 1 pm tomorrow they'll upgrade it to 15-22 inches and then it will be about 2 more feet. So... 50 inches in about 4 days... yeah. Just not things that happen every year. This is getting ridiculous God should just finish the job and throw out a 60 degree day someday this week to flood all of you.

What was the total amount of snow that occurred, what, thirty or forty years ago in Chicago? I remember there was that one ridiculous day people refer to. Granted, it was before the reinforced snow plows and snowblowers of today, but it had to be somewhere around 2 to 2 1/2 feet.

Here's the problem, as I interpret it -- she wants everything to go her way, even at your expense. She wants to pursue this other dufus, meanwhile, have you as a safety net if the relationship never works out. There's a saying that women are like monkeys, in that they'll never let go of one branch until the other is secure. I notice people, when seeking relationship advice, often believe their situation is unique, and maybe if we knew the nuances of their relationship we'd think differently. Breakup scenarios are always different, but people are fundamentally the same. I know you haven't said as much Wite, but keep in mind (in case you are thinking this way), that she dumped you. In your original post, it's almost as if you're blaming yourself for the breakup because you were a piece of s*** and not participating in extracurricular activities. This is where people may reply, "well, it goes beyond that, there are many other things I did," but all you're doing is putting the blame on yourself. She knew when she began dating you, two years ago, the type of person you were. You're in college, for christs sake. It's a convenient excuse, but I have a feeling no matter what you would have done with your life she would have looked elsewhere. Hell, for all you know this other guy is a complete bum. Think of all the pieces of s*** out there who are dating someone with no job, no career aspirations, nothing really to wake up for. Also, consider this -- she dumped you because you weren't involved enough in the world for her liking, in addition to being a piece of s***; as you put it. If she thinks this way, what would happen five years in the future if say you're laid off from your job? Would you worry that she'd leave you, or that she'd supportive? I suppose it doesn't matter, really, because I just think this whole 'getting your life straightened out' is crap and she's at the age where the pastor is greener in the single life. Wite, the most important issue here is that you can't let her know she can run back and forth between other guys and you, and that you'll always be there. I've always made it very clear that I don't do 'breaks' or give 'second chances.' One girl I was considering dating actually argued with me about this rule, and I told her thanks for saving me a lot of time; goodbye. To this day I still will receive random text messages from her asking what I'm doing tonight, or we should hang out. I can be a complete asshole, but I don't let women walk over me. If you told you girl tomorrow, "if you ever try this again, I won't be there waiting," and she flips out, consider it a sign that it's still on her mind and that you're bound to go through the same heartache again.

QUOTE (Benchwarmerjim @ Jan 30, 2010 -> 10:10 PM) Twins fans are sure excited to see Thome. I was at TwinsFest Friday, and Thome was at one of the Player Autograph booths. My friend and I were going to stand in line, but the line was really long. I would say close to 700 in line. Some with Thome Twins jerseys already (where did they get them so quick!) Myself, I don't know how I feel. Thome is old and has back issues and has killed Twins pitching for about 30 years it seems (kind of like Favre and the Vikings). But, he is cheap, a super nice guy, veteran presence, and a guy who is willing to draw a walk. I guess better to have Thome as a bench guy/platoon DH than some of the other retreads the Twins have bring in (Lamb, Monroe, White, the list is long and dubious) speaking of the Twins, fans have been kind of abuzz about Liriano's Dominican Winter Ball start the other day. Something like 5 IP, 10 K's. 92-93 MPH FB and his 84-86 MPH slider with wicked movement. That should be for another thread though That is basically the velocity he threw both pitches last season. When he's throwing 95-97 mph fastballs and 90 mph sliders I'll be more afraid. Then I'll lose that fear when, after a year (at most) his arm falls off. No one loved the old Liriano like I did, but even if he did return to old form, it wouldn't be for very long. What made him great is what ultimately led to his injury. You just can't indefinitely snap off a 90mph slider with his delivery without reoccurring issues.

Aw, Obama is charming everyone again! Expect a 10% increase in approval ratings come tomorrow.

QUOTE (WilliamTell @ Jan 27, 2010 -> 06:38 PM) Yoga day for me. Watching me attempt to do yoga might be the funniest thing around, I suck so bad at it and I'm not improving too much either. If you are anything like me, you'll quit after 45 minutes, and along the way develop new found respect for Yoga.

The legend of the internet attorney tracking down mischievous users posting content is just that, a legend. It has never happened in the past years on this website, and never will. It's no different than someone copying pages from a book, or pasting a copyrighted image. Let's just say it would be known FAR before it reached Soxtalk that ESPN is tracking down those who post their content. You'd see several stories coming up from more well known blogs, message boards where content is posted. Well, I noticed you caved. That's fine. You can still basically summarize everything he says without putting it word for word.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 27, 2010 -> 02:02 PM) What happens if they're traded? If they're traded for quality major league players, like Clayton Richard was for Peavy, then I'm fine with it. And I know where this is going, with us acquiring Garcia, Floyd, Vazquez, Swisher with highly regarded prospects who have yet to amount to anything. Personally, I'm more of the opinion of developing the best talent for the purpose of building within. So, instead of having to trick some GM into taking our crap, and then paying 8+ million for the veteran in return, we can fill a position for league minimum. I'm sure no one enters the draft room thinking they're going to draft someone that one day will be traded for a backup catcher, but not devoting enough money to the draft, religiously following slot recommendations, avoiding players with certain clients, or failing to sign a highly regarded prospect because they're off on 100,000 needs to end. There is a reason teams like the Yankees and Red Sox are rarely below #10 in overall rankings. Even if their prospects are hyped (which they are), and ultimately fail (as many of ours do), they still put the effort into it. No, we're never going to have the funds they have; but there should be NO reason teams like Minnesota continue to run circles around us. And it's been like this for a long time. Something is obviously wrong with our personnel.

And this all stems from that man and his family who were killed because the car's accelerator was stuck to the ground. If they never dialed 911, and had their last moments of anguish recorded for everyone to hear, it probably wouldn't have led to this.

Cmon, isn't this a bit ridiculous? This whole, "we have to cut back everything because of the economy" nonsense. I can understanding not paying a whole lot of money for a Christmas tree, but these fireworks draw large crowds. There are people who will go just for that. I doubt there will be nearly the amount of people attending as past years, and because of it, less money for the city. Awesome.

Rankings beyond a certain point are subjective. Can anyone really say it's anything other than personal opinion when separating the #18 farm team with the 25th ranked team? At that level, it may be the difference in one or two A level players. However, if two years go pass from here and we can only look at Gordon Beckham as a contributing player, then something drastic needs to happen. Not with the top, but the people doing the actual scouting. If you can't find contributing players with a safe or high risk/high reward philosophy, then what good are you? There should already be an overall in our Latin American scouting, but I'm tired of debating that. It's obvious we're paying those people to be on vacation. No one has done anything of note in ten years. May as well scrap the entire operation and put it towards the major league draft.

Here's what I've been doing with great results. I didn't really need to lose too much weight (6'2, 200), but the problem with me was gaining a significant amount of muscle without losing endurance. If nothing else, use this to supplement your workout routine. Monday: Shoulder/Arms for an hour (use this website as a guide: http://www.coopersguns.com/videos/exercise-encyclopedia/) Several parts of boxing regimen: Shadow boxing (15mins), Heavy bag (18 mins), jump rope (20 mins), situps (20 mins) Tuesday: HIIT -- four rounds of this video ( ) Boxing regimen Wednesday: Chest/Back Boxing regimen Thusday: HIIT- four rounds Boxing regimen Friday: Legs/Back Boxing regimen Saturday: HIIT- four rounds Boxing regimen Sunday: Rest

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jan 27, 2010 -> 09:47 AM) They also have Swarzak, Manship and their prize possession who will move fast in Kyle Gibson, who's predicted to be their #1 starter in 2012 or 2013. The Twins were active acquiring talent all summer. With the 22nd overall pick in June, they drafted Missouri righthander Kyle Gibson, a projected top-10 pick choice who was available because he had a stress reaction in his right forearm. Gibson signed at the Aug. 17 deadline for $1.85 million, marking the first time Minnesota took a premier talent who slid and paid him a seven-figure, above-slot bonus. In another first, the Twins paid the highest bonus on the international market in 2009 and the highest for an international player in franchise history when infielder Miguel Sano signed in September for $3.15 million. Minnesota had kicked off the international period by signing German outfielder Max Kepler for $800,000, the largest bonus ever given to a European position player. from baseballamerica.com The Twins are going into an all-new stadium, they're not messing around. Well, we're always looking to be like the Twins, so I guess that means we should be spending 3+ million for international talent and paying players above slot bonuses. Right? Why don't we ever emulate the good parts of teams, such as a devotion to minor league development, instead of the grindy gimmicky parts? And yes, I realize we've changed our ways from the past, but we still haven't developed much of anything outside of this country through our system. It shouldn't be Carlos Lee, then nothing afterwards. That was over 10 years ago.

QUOTE (Gregory Pratt @ Jan 25, 2010 -> 08:02 PM) Have you ever heard of a 68,000$ toilet? I love how this Angela Prazza is concerned with the transgendered people on campus. Yes, let's be excited because a bathroom was built for a select group of people who don't feel comfortable in either a men's or women's bathroom. Also, anyone who goes to UIC knows UH is definitely not one of the most trafficked buildings on campus. Good article, Pratt.

You figure if it wasn't going to prevent the A's from signing anyone else (which it doesn't look like it would), then there's nothing lost here. Would anyone see a scenario where the A's are in contention midseason and would use extra money to acquire someone? That doesn't sound like something they'd do. I wouldn't see the Sox doing it, ever, but if I'm the A's there's nothing to lose. And Rotoworld was right, Beane can do no wrong.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jan 26, 2010 -> 01:58 PM) It was funny, I was thinking something had happened to Fathom too....his quotes there were very "warm" and close to emotional, lol. But, OTOH, it's really sad too, it reminds me whenever I see these types of threads about ncorgbl and his "reign of terror" over at chisox.com 7-8-9 years ago. He liked to challenge people to meet and constantly was digging up personal information, making comments about my wife, etc. With all the illegal guns out there, with the lack of privacy on the Internet, with so many making themselves vulnerable through Facebook and Myspace pages, it's shocking there isn't more "Internet related" violence...and it's really hard to know what people are "bluster" and which ones really are capable of "snapping" and doing real harm. And for many here, we've been posting for 6+ years. There's bound to be personal information posted somewhere during that period that a person can use to track us down.