Molto

I wish I would've seen it. I didn't because I hate the show so much. Had I of known Stewart was going to be on, I would've. Unfortunately, CNN doesn't show a replay of the show, which is good 99.9% of the time, the exception being this time.

that is the most I've ever seen you writte, jas - 4 days, 4 pieces of content. blog looks nice BTW...

I've always been one to get pissed at the fact that not enough people vote, but he makes a very good point. What is the point in someone voting for Kerry or Bush or wheover if they have no clue as to why they are doing it? the problem is when you have people who complain and b**** about s*** but then don't vote because they think it doesn't make a difference.

one problem with the news networks is that they are afraid to look biased, because no matter what you may find nowadays to make a point, there is always something the opposite side can refute that with. A perfect example is a case I had in my Media Ethics class. The case (not a real case) talked about a mayor of a city publically holding a press conference at 4 PM and using that conference to criticize a committeman for something deal with pesticide (sp?) anyway, by holding this conference so late, they give the reporter little time to dig deeper because they are on "deadline." So, instead of ignoring the deadline and waiting till the next day in order to find out if the accusations are true, they simply run a story about the mayors accusations, true or not. So instead of getting the facts straight after hearing both sides, they simply say what each side said and basically wipe their hands clean of it. it isn't about being lazy ... the hours and work they put in our crazy. the problem is politicians have them by the balls and they are being forced to produce something, anything. this is exactly why I don't want to have anything to do with daily newspapers or big TV networks.

that would require them using common sense ... very hard concept for them apparently. I really like how guys like this are the first ones to complain and urge an organization to sign a big name player and then they will be the first one to go and complain about that very same player and contract 3-4 years down the road when that player is making $15 plus mil a year and is either over the hill, injured or simply no longer productive. fact is, the White Sox will never be (well, not never, but highly unlikely) a big spender, which is understandable. With that, they can't go out and throw money out at players, which is the reason why so many other mid-market teams have failed. they try to spend like they have $100 million when they only have $50, which leads to them over-paying for a player who giving someone a long-term contract which will look like s*** long term.

and that has purely to do with the organization being cheap? I'm not saying the Sox have put out a great team year in and year out. But I am saying that they've tried harder than most MLB teams over the past few years and all they get as result is 1.9 million in attendance (granted, they haven't produced much on the field, but if you are getting 15,000 in April, when the season is FAR from over and the talent is there, that's pretty sad). Look at the rankings of attendance and see where each team ranks in payroll. If you do that over the past few years, you'll notice the White Sox are around 13-15 in payroll and around 17 in attendance. The White Sox from a spending standpoint haven't been all that great, but neither has us as fans.

once again, I don't think fans as a whole can complain about an organization not spending money if they themselves refuse to do so... You can complain if an organization is making no attempt to win and aren't bringing in good players, and unless one is blinded by his pure hatred of the organization, nobody can go and say the Sox haven't been trying. all this JR is cheap crap is really getting old.

Jas, I've had teachers who have worked deep within some of the top news organizations and the consensus is that the bias is with Fox News. One of my teachers who worked at Fox, and was a republican on top of it, criticized Fox News. People who work at Fox News receive memos everyday telling them what they can and can't talk about.

everyone knew, huh? wow, I didn't know that I and 80% of fans and KW, and the coaching staff and all the scouts and all the other teams that I'm sure expressed interest in him... damn. I didn't know.

This is a column on Ventura from a writer at Chicago Sports Review and BaseballOutsider. Very good. No More Mr. Nice Guy, Robin Ventura Thursday, October 14, 2004 By Susan Kelly Retirement is a fact of life for baseball players; a fact that usually hits them far sooner than it does the rest of us mere mortals. As each season winds down, we’re often greeted with the news that a player we’ve come to know and respect has decided to hang up his glove. So it came as no great shock when several players announced that they’d reached the end of the line with the close of the 2004 season. Still, one name in particular stood out for me. That of Robin Ventura. As the Dodgers saw their post-season run stopped by the powerful Cardinals on Sunday night, Ventura made his decision final and officially announced his retirement from the game. He went out the same way he’d spent his 16-year career, quietly and without fanfare. I’d expect no less from the native Californian who had been one of baseballs’ most laid back characters. This was quintessential Ventura -- just packing up his belongings, wishing his teammates the best and walking away into the next phase of his life, whatever that might be. Hopefully it will continue to include baseball in some form, for the game would be greatly diminished by his absence. Having put up a modest .267 career average, with 294 homers and 1,182 RBI’s, Ventura hardly ranked amongst the great sluggers, yet his contributions, though they lacked flash, were no less meaningful. He was a throwback to the glory days of baseball, when a flash of leather could be more effective than a long ball, and he had six Gold Gloves to back it up. He was also the consummate teammate, the kind of player any GM or manager loved to have in the clubhouse because he always knew how to keep things loose, even when things got the most heated. He didn’t stand out because of any ballpark heroics, but for his understated dedication to the game he loved. Even at the bleakest moment of his career, when a devastating injury during Spring Training of 1997 resulted in a broken ankle and grim prospects for a return, Ventura responded as he always had, by putting his nose the grindstone and working hard. As a result, he was back in the Chicago White Sox lineup in just 18 weeks, stunning medical and baseball professionals who had predicted a minimum healing period of six months, and helping his team to a victory, not with a storybook homer but with a well hit double to drive in the winning run. Typical Robin Ventura. Never the star player, but beloved in every city where he played as teammates and fans embraced his old school ethic and solid play. Nowhere more so than in New York, where he spent two years with the Mets and then two and a half with the Yankees. Though his time in Queens was brief, he left an indelible image in the minds and hearts of Met fans as part of the most thrilling seasons in recent franchise history. Few Met fans will ever forget Game 5 of the 1999 NLCS when Ventura stepped to the plate and nailed down the victory against the archrival Atlanta Braves with his “grand slam single.” A fitting moment for the man affectionately known as “Mr. Grand Slam,” whose 18 career slams tie him for third all-time with the legendary Willie McCovey. We’ll remember him for the lighter moments too -- especially his brilliant comic performance as teammate Mike Piazza during a Mets/Yankees rain-delay. Things can get awfully tense in New York, but Ventura helped us all to not take things quite so seriously. He gave us permission to laugh -- at him and at ourselves -- something just as important as game-winning hits or glowing defense. If Robin Ventura knew one thing, it was that baseball is fleeting and you need to enjoy every second that you can. It’s something he was able to do with class and grace for 16 years. Until, at last, it was time to go. No fanfare, no final bows, just a quiet end for a quiet man. Those of us who were fortunate enough to watch him play will forever appreciate all he brought to the game, so we offer one final ovation for one of baseball’s true nice guys. Thanks, Robin -- for the way you played the game, for the way you made us feel, for the memories you gave us. You were appreciated and you’ll be missed.

with family, and will likely stay that way for some time...

signing Vizquel wouldn't be a bad idea ... the main thing is to make sure they have a legit shortstop in the minors to take his placein 2-3 years. I don't mind getting Vizquel though, especially since you are going to have younger guys like Crede and Uribe/Harris around him.

Kerry won the debate, although it was nothing impressive, he did win hands down. The funny thing to me is how people from both sides are trying to make less of the others characteristics. Kerry is a guy who apparently can't stick with a decision and Bush is a guy who is too stubburn to admit when he's f***ed up. both are major flaws, neither is worse than the other.

a lot of deals KW has made were supposed pipe dreams, to an extent. I personally don't see us getting him because I'm not so sure he would want to come here ... financially, I think we can with the right moves. I'm not sure if I'd want to though.

I don't think you trade Crede, but finding another option to play in front of him should definitely be considered.

I think some of you are confusing most overrated to players who had high expectation and never panned out. overrated means a player who was praised beyond his production. someone like Navarro or Ruffcorn are very stupid picks, because fans never praised them when they played. with that said, Jose Valentin has been the most overrated player, or at least one of the most...

it isn't that he sucks, it's just that he hasn't had time to really play there. remember when Lee started playing left? he wasn't very slick out there but if you watched him you know he could've been good enough for it, and he is now. same for Gload. he can't play the OF right now, but an offseason of work out there plus spring training and he will be pretty good.

Uribe carried the team early and Konerko has had a good year, but Lee and Rowand have been the best players this years from an all-round perspective.

Leo Mazzone is recognized and considered by many to be very good. in most cases, nobody really knows.

I should've made myself more clear. I meant more valuable as in within our specific team. if we had a team full of Gloads, then a guy like Konerko is more valuable than another Gload, but a guy like Gload, if he does play like he's been this year, brings more to the table than Konerko based on what this team is looking for and needs.

and you are in the clubhouse on a daily basis to prove this theory with Cooper and Walker, right?

that's a good point also. I don't believe that there are many bad managers. I think most managers need a certain group of players in order to succeed. a guy like Gload fits Guillen more so than Konerko, who just swung at the first pitch after a walk and got jammed hitting a weak flyball to left.

c'mon, man, what good is a hitter who hits when it counts. as fans, we should demand the White Sox get another hitter who only hits in blowouts and hits a lot of solo homers when up by 5+ runs. numbers is the key to everything. in all seriousness though, the debate here shouldn't be Konerko vs. Gload, but Konerko vs. Gload and Other ($7 million). who knows what Gload is going to do, but you never know what you are going to get when you make a decision like this ... you just have to look at the player and see if he is the type of guy you want. Gload isn't a guy who is going to put up crazy numbers, but he is someone who isn't going to hurt you, which in a way is more valuable than a guy like Konerko, who can go on a month long slump and really really hurt you, as he is then just another slow right-handed hitter.

Harris is a very good defensive player and does need more time, but a revelation is a bit far fetched and two years is a bit too long.

Alan York ... he's the Winston-Salem announcer and media guy. me, jason, mike and Ian met him this past August on our minor league trip, very nice guy.