False Alarm

QUOTE(Kid Gleason @ Jan 22, 2008 -> 02:48 PM) But in all reality the movie could have been about him going back to save his original Atari 5600 in its box and it would have been VERY true to life. that'd've been the best movie ever.

c'mon now man if they was in such good shape and had been drafting that well, he wouldn't've had to just trade in his two affordable young stars to replenish the farm. incidentally what do peeps think of an "Ask BureauEmployee171" sticky thread? dude's got great info but it's scattered all over the board too. might be nice to have a single place you could go to see him riffin on stuff. just a thought.

QUOTE(Vance Law @ Dec 6, 2007 -> 12:38 AM) I do not see this quote in Will Carroll's chat. Am I right that this is a paraphrase? I see "both Chicago teams bidding" in the chat, but not "ncluding a strong move from the White Sox, who don't want to miss out on yet another off-season target." it was a quote--subscriber material from the rumor mill thing they run during the meetings. i did see his bit in the chat about the cubs, and that came later in the day than what i posted earlier, so i'm not optimistic we'll get fuko.

from will carroll at 1 pm ET:

QUOTE(Middle Buffalo @ Nov 8, 2007 -> 03:37 PM) For the record, the '72 Dolphins' strength of schedule hardly makes them seem like one of the all-time greats. Record: 14-0 Points scored/allowed: 385/171 Opponents' record: 70-108-4 (.396)* Record against teams with winning records: 2-0 Points scored/allowed against teams with winning records: 43/23 *For all of these opponents' records, games against this team are excluded. how'd they fare their final three games of that 17-0 season? did those last three teams have losing records? the '72 dolphins were first in points scored and points allowed. they were first in yards gained and yards allowed. only 3 of their 14 reg-season games were decided by less than a TD. and they did all this while their starting QB missed 9 games. then they had to go on the road to beat pittsburgh in the AFC championship game cuz there was no home-field advantage back then. maybe they weren't the greatest team ever--a lotta peeps say the 1973 dolphins were actually far better, and i think they thrashed a lotta teams they played if that's the criterion--but to suggest the undefeated dolphins weren't one of the all-time great teams is f***ing stupid. i disagree with coach shula that spygate diminishes the pats' season if they go undefeated. but i think he's right that spygate would not be forgotten. it'd remain a footnote to the season, something frequently mentioned when people talked about the 2007 pats. not sure how peeps could disagree with that or get upset with shula for pointing it out. (sounds like some people are just bitter about december 2, 1985. )

QUOTE(Texsox @ Nov 5, 2007 -> 07:29 PM) More of a basic outline: Brown the meat (I prefer to dice up a roast) with some jalapeños, 1015 onions (vidalia sort of, sweeter than most, developed here in the Rio Grande Valley), and garlic. Drain if necessary. Crush some tomatoes, till it looks right. Add tomato puree if they seem to dry. I'll also dump in a little beer if I'm drinking something full bodied. Add some chillies, about 1/3 of what you will be adding. (I like to use a couple different styles) small amount of green pepper, more if less chillies are used beans Worcestershire sauce Chili powder Cumin seeds, roasted and ground Oregano pinch of cinnamon wasn't there a chili thread last year where you wrote a screed against beans in chili? am i thinking of the wrong poster?

from goldstein's chat on BP:

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Oct 15, 2007 -> 07:21 PM) I am sure I will get a "Yes, but" answer here, but I will ask this anyway... This is the largest investment the Sox have made on a new player outside of the draft, correct? i dunno, but i know carlos lee was a somewhat high-profile signing when we got him. probably not $600K, but it'd probably be more than that (or maybe around it) if we did the same deal today. he wasn't a big bonus baby a la beltre or guzman, but i know we were bidding against the yanks on him at least. QUOTE(Gene Honda Civic @ Oct 15, 2007 -> 06:58 PM) The bonus won't even crack the top 10 international signings this season. i mean, maybe you're right, but it'll be one of the significant ones, won't it? last year, montero signed for $2 mil and the washington shortstop was $1.4 million, but francisco pena, who was one of the big latin american amateurs, went to the mets for $750,000, and i didn't see any deals bigger than that in a quick search. ----------------------------- i'm glad we're making signings like this and boosting our resources down there, but i dunno if i'd want the sox giving out montero-type deals too often. i think the wide net can work well in conjunction with a shrewd big-bonus deal every season or two--how much did DLS sign for?

QUOTE(CWSGuy406 @ Oct 12, 2007 -> 06:11 PM) I hate to base it on these terms, but is there any idea about how much $$$ the kid got? $600,000. http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sp...-home-headlines

BA's starting their league top 20s. martinez is the sox' only prospect on the list, though they said griffith would've made it as well if he'd pitched enough innings. i let my BA subscription lapse, so i can't post or paraphrase what they say about anyone in our org. http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prosp...res/264914.html

QUOTE(BearSox @ Aug 21, 2007 -> 03:32 AM) I must say, Poreda has made me eat some of words against him... but then again, he is only advanced rookie ball for a 21-22 year old 1st round draft pick. He should be easily handling those players. i've seen you mention his age a couple of times now. this is poreda's age-20 season. he doesn't turn 21 until october. yeah he's still a college guy and should be polished and handling these guys and all that, but just pointing out that he's a touch younger than you seem to realize.

QUOTE(maggliopipe @ Jul 10, 2007 -> 09:16 PM) Not so much a word but a phrase, I can't stand 'I could care less'. And it's not just idiots that say it, even intelligent people say it incorrectly. I find myself pulling out the 'scale of caring' on my raised arm (i.e. the elbow=do not care, fingertips=maximal amount of care) to clarify why 'I could care less' is in direct opposition to what they're trying to say. I feel like a real asshole when I do that though, but frankly, I couldn't care less. what if the speaker's being sarcastic when he or she says it? ---------------------------------- not related, but i think it's lame to bang on dialect. english ain't a monolith y'alls.

QUOTE(GoRowand33 @ Jun 20, 2007 -> 08:14 PM) anybody seeing the mountain goats tonight at the metro? my wife went (more for superchunk, actually). i had to work. sounded fun over the phone.

also from BA FWIW:

i can't seem to catch up in this thread cuz y'alls're snipin at each other too fast so i'm just gonna give my take and leave it alone. first, i wish we'd've drafted porcello too. i agree that we should've gone (way) over slot in this case cuz he's so much better of a prospect than any other options that were out there. but to bring up the fact that we don't pick again until almost 100 as a reason we should've paid more for porcello is absurd. how much more $ would we really be giving out if we had a sandwich pick? $700,000, maybe? a million? porcello wants a josh beckett contract, adjusted for inflation. that is, he wants $10,000,000 and a big-league contract. an 18-year-old with a big-league contract. he'd go right onto the 40-man and be in his option years (if i understand it correctly) and have to fast-track it to the majors, no time for injuries or developmental hiccups. though, again, i wish we'd've rolled the dice, the risk was enormous, and waiting till next year to reuse the pick would hurt the team at least somewhat. our system's pretty bare, and a year without a first-round talent in it would set us back in our attempt to rebuild it. i don't think poreda's a bad alternative at all. for $8-9 million less (that theoretically could be put to good use rather than wasted on the grinderstads/podses of the world), we get a big, durable lefty who hits 97 on the gun and throws a lotta strikes. all i ever see on the minor league board is people b****ing about our system being full of low-ceiling soft tossers and future #4s. well, lefties who throw this hard--especially with control--are rare commodities. some peeps have called him a low-ceiling type in this thread, saying his future's as a reliever and that he has no chance of becoming an all star. this is silly. with his unusual skill set, his ceiling is undeniably that of a perenniel all-star. problem is, with one usuable current pitch, he's unlikely ever to approach that ceiling. in other words, he's a boom-or-bust type--the exact opposite of broadway, mcculough, and all the other polished finesse guys people complain about all year long. his K numbers don't worry me. if he develops another pitch or two, the Ks'll come in droves. if he doesn't, he'll never be more than a gas can anyway. but i don't think his college K numbers are necessarily predictive of his ability to develop offspeed stuff; they just indicate he doesn't have any right now. he's a bit of a long shot, but he could become a #1. at #25 overall, i'm fine with that.

QUOTE(Whitewashed in @ Jun 1, 2007 -> 02:42 AM) I have heard it is tough finding a good job in the field. Especially if you don't know people. Even if I did decide I am not fit for this, the next question is what will I do next? I have had a growing interest in writing, specifically sports (haha). I would love to be a columnist for a newspaper or a magazine. The thing is I wouldn't know where to start. I don't know anything about the field and what I am required to do to get where I want. Is it a pipe dream or realistic? Would it support a lifestyle comparable to what I think I could have in computer networking? I need some input guys, thanks! finding regular writing or editorial work--especially in a specific field--is at least as tough, especially if you dunno peeps, and newspaper circulations are in decline, so there'll be even fewer jobs and less money for em in coming years. you'd probably wanna major in journalism, or at least english, and definitely do everything you can to work on your university newspaper or somehow get experience in a deadline-oriented publishing environment. the web makes freelancing a lot easier these days, so look for (reputable) places to contribute so you have clips when you apply for jobs that actually pay and have benefits. while it's true that your undergrad major might not matter in a lotta cases, entry-level positions in publishing are hard to come by, and there's no reason to set yourself back by majoring in, like, business or something if you wanna be a sportswriter. unless you have a hook-up or experience, they'd probably require the journalism degree just to interview you at that point. as for whether it would support a lifestyle comparable to what you'd make in computer networking: no. i mean, if you do really well and get a big column or something, you'll make some real bank, but even then it would be way down the line. most of my friends work in IT or network support, and we all came outta college around the same time. we've all been pretty successful in our respective careers, but they all make way more than i. the difference? i work in publishing. i also wouldn't trade places with em for the world. like peeps said, if it's your dream or passion or whatever, do it. if you're just kinda intrigued or half-interested, it might not be worth the trouble and lower pay.

god bless you, mr vonnegut. RIP.

much love freddy.

QUOTE(pierard @ Dec 4, 2006 -> 11:56 PM) I think I am going to read Timequake by Vonnegut (love Slaughterhouse-Five) next, anybody read it before? yeah. i consider it kinda a cute book, nostalgic. it's a light and, i think, fitting end to his career as a novelist. definitely not required reading though. it's good for fans but nowhere near his best work.

other electricities: stories, by ander monson. book of linked short stories. not too far into it, but not sure what i think so far. the first few stories didn't do a ton for me on their own, but i think the overarching work has a chance to be pretty interesting.

QUOTE(BobDylan @ Nov 20, 2006 -> 04:13 AM) I'm pretty sure you mean Godspeed You! Black Emperor. Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven is an LP name under GY!BE i mean lift your skinny fists--the name of the first movement of the first song on the LP of the same title--was used in the dockers commercial. didn't mean to give the impression i didn't know who did the song.

QUOTE(bmags @ Nov 18, 2006 -> 10:28 PM) i don't think i have to point out that there is a difference between being a spokesperson and selling your songs. Plus considering when independent artists decline their use of songs, the companies just hire people to do songs just like it, so they take the money now anyways. i guess i don't really know what you're sayin. you said it bothers you that hip-hop artists commercialize their music. i pointed out that a buncha other kindsa musicians commercialize their music. you said that was OK cuz companies hire people to mimic em. why you give them a pass and not hip hop? as for the spokesman thing, seems to me that in being a big bad spokesman common's commercializing his image, more than his music. (he's arguably maintaining the integrity of his regular work by not using any of those songs.) you sayin you'd rather have artists sell their songs, basically? if i gotta choose, i'd rather have em sell their image; the music's more important to me. i dunno man. just seems like hip hop gets such a bad, ahem, rap on this board for no reason sometimes. and i know you like some stuff, but still.

QUOTE(bmags @ Nov 17, 2006 -> 05:28 AM) one thing that's always bothered me about rap artists is their complete willingness to commercialize their music. As if their songs are nothing more than a marketing campaign for themselves. Not true for all, but for quite a bit. that said the new Clipse is the shiiiittttt i've heard mojave 3 in hummer commercials and lift your skinny fists like antennas to heaven! in a dockers commercial, IIRC. mogwai in jeans commercials. every time i hear the who now i think of a product or TV show. plenty of other examples. it ain't just hip hop. and at least common wrote a jingle, essentially, for it, rather than using one of his actual songs. if he sells "watermelon" to jolly ranchers or some s*** i might just off myself.

snow crash, by neal stephenson. pretty tight.

thanks y'alls.