Jake

It does seem off that the excesses of the program tend to be distributed everywhere except the players. The players need not get everything -- Nick Saban, the infrastructure at Alabama, etc. all play a big role in player success and revenue generation -- but it seems like there ought to be some way to spread the benefits to the players. The coaches are in a marketplace that demands higher salaries. The players have a hard cap. Even if it doesn't come in the form of paychecks, can there be some way to cut off some of the excess revenue generation and make it benefit the players rather than fighting tooth and nail to keep it from doing so?

I think the key with the ACA is that even the "losers" are winning because they are getting more adequate healthcare. Knowing from years of behavioral econ research that people have no idea how to budget for their health ("hmm, I don't feel sick right now, so I don't need health insurance!") makes me feel comfortable with the worst-case scenario being that people had to better protect their own health than they wanted to.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Mar 13, 2014 -> 02:25 PM) I get where you're going...but you're just asking for a dozen examples in reply of regulations the left supports that similarly don't do much good except for helping a well-connected industry. Especially when you start reaching the state level they're all over the place. Well, this is why I hate state politics and would like to see them completely delegitimized/disempowered. You at least need enough political opposition that when you have free reign, you act consistently with your stated ideology. In Memphis, the all-Democrat everywhere local government continues to cut pay/benefits/etc to two groups: police and sanitation workers. The number 1 issue facing Memphis is crime. It is probably not as a bad as perceived, but the perception of Memphis's crime is more important. Let's reduce the police workforce! Cut their pay, too! No overtime! MLK Jr. died in Memphis while standing up for sanitation workers. Somehow, in Memphis, a city largely run by black Democrats, they continue to give the shaft to the sanitation workers. It boggles the mind. Even if they were right to attack that part of the budget fiscally speaking, they're still idiots.

The Iglesias trade stunk of desperation when it was made and remains just as baffling. I'm glad we got the elite prospect in that deal

Micah Johnson has been doing a compelling impersonation of a major league ballplayer

QUOTE (SCCWS @ Mar 17, 2014 -> 05:23 PM) Flowers has struck out this spring more than Phegley and Nieto combined. It is a good thing that it isn't a "who strikes out least" contest or else we would have picked the wrong guy

It wouldn't surprise me at all if Flowers ended up posting something like .700-.750 OPS with a better defensive showing than he had last season -- which would be perfectly fine for him to keep his job until an obvious upgrade came forward. I of course wouldn't be surprised if he played like s***, too

There are some serious concerns about Phegley's defense that ought to be addressed on an everyday basis in Charlotte

Hoffman continues to be unimpressive. Not with #3. Whisper in his ear and make him pretend to be unsignable until round 2

QUOTE (ScottyDo @ Mar 16, 2014 -> 11:42 PM) Why wouldn't they have filled that position with someone better to begin with, then? Because they're morons who saw a guy with a MiLB career that makes Leury Garcia look like Hank Aaron start off his MLB career with a hot run and assumed the latter was more relevant than the former. And, of course, he's a great fielder. He'll be a well-traveled utility player one day ... think Rey Ordonez as ceiling

This is bad news for Sox fans. Iglesias is a bad baseball player and Detroit will almost certainly fill the position with somebody better

Drove through blizzard-like conditions on I55 in Missouri today. What the hell

Castellanos, please

Yeah, I mean I'm not against trying to do it if you think there is some value in doing so...but there's way too much limitation when you can't even share over wi-fi. Getting new headphones seems like the thing

I like Jordan Danks a lot. I would rather have $16 million less based on a gamble on Adam Dunn than Jordan Danks.

Any contract with such length for a relief pitcher is incredibly risky

QUOTE (Chilihead90 @ Mar 14, 2014 -> 02:08 PM) I looked through their 40 man and top prospects and I'm not really sure who we would have targeted that is equal to or better than Davidson. I would guess that that means we were the ones who nixed the deal then

Much, much higher bust risk with Baez. He could potentially never start in the MLB at this point with that K rate and atrocious defense. Bryant has every bit as much ceiling and is ready enough that he'll at least get a very long MLB trial run.

Luckily, the Bulls franchise is in a much, much better position than LA

Young and Houston were 12th and 19th in PFF's pass rushing productivity, respectively out of 37 4-3 DE that played half or more of their team's snaps. It's kind of like eFG% in basketball, where it is (disruptions/passing snaps), but with added weight for QB hits and sacks. Houston and Young have very high rates of hurries (top 5 in NFL) but converted less often on hits and sacks. That doesn't necessarily mean you could stick them on Team X and they would do the same thing. PFF's ratings aren't like WAR, which tries to capture a player's true contribution, independent of external factors like luck, ballpark, teammates, etc. That's much harder to do with football. It is descriptive of how productive a player was.

QUOTE (MexSoxFan#1 @ Mar 13, 2014 -> 08:00 PM) Yeah but Houston is a legit title contender according to you know who Nah, if you lose to the Bulls it's clearly a fluke

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Mar 13, 2014 -> 07:20 PM) I'd be surprised if Dunleavy knows his own name right now after that shot to the head. 2 rebounds, 2 layups, a made three, and took a charge so far. Wouldn't have guessed that after seeing that gash

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Mar 13, 2014 -> 09:09 AM) I had to post this somewhere... So, New Jersey's Governor Christie passed an Administrative Action (no need for the legislature) that effectively bans all direct car dealerships. Cars MUST be sold by third parties. This move effects exactly one company - Tesla, who will have to close it's two dealerships in the state as a result. Leaving aside the amazing hypocrisy here, of Christie's touting of free markets and then doing the opposite and stifling competition... and leaving aside how awful it is for the government of a state to target a specific business this way to make other businesses happy, turning the state into a tool for businesses driving out competition... this, to me, is a great example of how the corporate money invading politics actually results in business-stupid policy. Here's the kicker... there are two other states that have passed similar laws or actions - Texas and Arizona. Funny thing, Tesla is right now looking to build it's new Giga battery factory, with seven thousand jobs at the beginning and more later, as well as a possible new vehicle plant nearby with thousands more jobs. There are four states in the running - Texas, Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico. This is called shooting yourself in the foot. Congratulations, TX and AZ (and NJ). Your "leaders" are lining their warchests with lobbying money, while costing jobs and tax revenue that would actually help people in your states. Republicanomics. While regulation doesn't always work the way it is intended, at least the left usually has a justifiable goal when they do it

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Mar 13, 2014 -> 01:55 PM) I'm not sold on advanced metrics in the NFL right now. Didn't they rate J'Marcus Webb a little higher than Bushrod in 2012? Yes, mainly because he objectively gave up less pressure

QUOTE (scs787 @ Mar 13, 2014 -> 01:36 PM) Fantastic. Phil's not messing around in trying to fix that putrid run defense. Looks like he's striving for some balance, avoiding guys with iffy track records or one dimensional play