Jake

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Mar 10, 2014 -> 08:14 AM) Not sure... but I can tell you that Scott Merkin told FS he's going by Micker Adolfo now. Apparently this is a paternal/maternal name thing, but many players from LatAm take on the more American paternal last name when they get here, which he apparently has. So you won't see the Sox using the Zapata part of his name. Micker Adolfo Zapata would be his name, but the Spanish naming custom is First (Middle) Father's Surname Mother's Surname. However, you normally wouldn't call someone by their full name, just first name and father's surname. For example, Dayan's full name is Dayan Viciedo Perez, because his mother's surname is Perez. Of interest is that it is not custom for women to take on the husband's surname in most Spanish speaking countries. In Latin America, if they do, it never becomes the "primary" surname. If you were Daysi Correa Perez and married Gabriel Abreu Gonzalez, you might change your name to Daysi Correa de Abreu, but you'd still be addressed as Daysi Correa or Senora Correa. Alejandro de Aza is really Alejandro Alberto De Aza Ceda - at one point in his past, I'm guessing his family name (or, very likely, the family name of the people who owned his slave ancestors) was not "De Aza" but rather something else followed by "de Aza," which would indicate that they came from the town of Haza, Spain. You can tell that this is no longer the intended meaning (beyond the fact that nobody really adds "from Chicago" to their names) because he capitalizes the word "De," indicating it is part of his last name. QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Mar 10, 2014 -> 12:19 PM) I have always wondered how much cash is actually exchanged in these types of deals. I am sure the league makes them give up something, but I bet it isn't even 5 figures. I think there might be a minimum amount set by the league that is in the 5 figures range for cash trades

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Mar 10, 2014 -> 01:19 PM) I gotta disagree with you here. Viciedo was a much better player in the 2nd half of last year. He put up a .291/.327/.466 slash line which was good for a wRC+ of 114. I think it's completely unfair to ignore the improvement that a second year player demonstrated over the course of the season. He also made a lot of progress against RHP. Maybe these improvements won't carry over to 2014, but I think it's pretty ridiculous to say he's gotten 0% better. Yeah, there are several encouraging signs from last season. A very strong second half, major improvement against RHP. Some weird things as well, like poor numbers against LHP and at home, both which seem more flukeish than the strong finish and numbers against RHP.

Sorry about the symbol confusion, that's how we all express that idea on another message board I go to. There's just an objective difference between Rachel Maddow (not as much the rest of the MSNBC lineup) and the O'Reilly/Hannity/whoever the hell crew. Maddow's show is quite obviously partisan, but actually employs journalistic rigor in terms of evidence-backed arguments, etc. She is going to push left-liberal ideas, but she also deals in fact. There is also a huge tonal difference on Maddow than pretty much any of the other shows, with the possible exception of Chris Wallace's programs. She occasionally gets a little animated, but she doesn't yell at guests, doesn't loser her temper and say crazy things, and generally goes for the "make a point by understating it" tone than the opposite. O'Reilly and even moreso Hannity play very loose and fast with the facts and often see their shows devolve into a bunch of gut-based inference and anger. Chris Matthews and sometimes Lawrence O'Donnell and Ed Schultz would be better comparisons here. I really don't think that Maddow has any good comparisons across the aisle or on the left in terms of partisan programming. Her appears-to-be-but-actually-isn't-brother Chris Hayes is probably the closest, but he is even more wonk-ish, even less emotional, and structures his show to be so more policy and research-oriented than Maddow's that I don't even like comparing them. On the FOX slate, as I mentioned, Chris Wallace is the one that seems most interested in his own integrity and at least appears to make some efforts to say things that are true and to treat his guests with respect. And let's give Al Sharpton some credit here, he is truly unmatched

UZR isn't a big fan of Saunders's CF defense

Hoffman still awaiting his first good statistical season

Lance Stephenson plays like that guy that joins your pickup game, says he hasn't played basketball in 10 years, and just makes lucky shot after lucky shot

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Mar 8, 2014 -> 11:28 PM) And if they pick they lose is really the 50th, then I think it's a smart signing by the Blue Jays. What are the odds the 50th pick even makes the majors? While they need everything to go right to compete in that division, it's worth the risk given their current position. They do have talent on the roster, but if it all falls apart there is no long-term risk payroll wise. 50th pick is quite valuable, but they'll do better if they give him QO and he walks/they trade him at the deadline. So long as he stays healthy and doesn't completely implode, they might be able to do well here, talent-wise. $14M is $14M, of course

FWIW, it's a phony "record" that Hester hasn't yet broken. Why the f*** would Hester's returns, all kick/punt/kickoff, be comparable with Deion Sanders's huge amount of interception returns, which have next to nothing to do with return ability and everything to do with defensive ability?

Rivalry is way too new and too lopsided in playoffs to be "best." It's just fun and intense, for now. Need that "Jordan beats the Pistons" moment for it to really be great

Phil or not, NYK are several years from having the mere possibility of competing. That will be in Carmelo's mind, though we can't possibly know how much that even matters to him.

Phil definitely wouldn't be coaching, might have been offered GM position. Interestingly enough, he has said in the past that he's basically not a big fan of Carmelo Anthony - thought it was too difficult to build a roster around him.

It's not for the White Sox's sake, it's for the players'. You see this at all levels. You tell them to run into plays where a bad throw is their only shot so they know their limits. You have them go way overboard early so they aren't too conservative during the season due to having not tested their limits since they were in little league.

It is very common to encourage players to be extremely, extremely aggressive on the basepaths early in ST. You get to really test yourself and get a feel for making those judgments.

but what about: yeah sorry that you have problems now and you need to harp on mine because i didn't and i actually took a s***

Blue Jays are probably telling themselves that if Santana doesn't get them what they want, they can get a better pick by offering QO after season or improve upon the lost pick by trading at deadline.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Mar 8, 2014 -> 09:31 AM) They give up the 9th pick in the 2nd round. It's one of the lowest picks you can possibly give up by signing a free agent. By lowest, you mean latest, right? Sometimes the low/high terminology can be confusing in a draft context

QUOTE (Feeky Magee @ Mar 8, 2014 -> 02:46 PM) Carlos Sanchez has a ghetto booty In all seriousness, a writer at BA said a big part of the reason he dropped in their rankings is that he gained a fair amount of weight and no longer seemed to be quick enough to be a legitimate SS or basestealer.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Mar 7, 2014 -> 10:10 AM) It's funny that in the US kids are expected to be responsible and on their own, while in much of Europe, kids live at home until they are married and that's the norm. Yeah, a great deal of the rest of the world, both developed and otherwise, thinks it is very strange and quite selfish that children are rushed out of the house as they approach the end of their schooling. Likewise, they find it strange that and even more offensive that those same children don't welcome their parents into their household as the parents reach retirement age. QUOTE (Alpha Dog @ Mar 7, 2014 -> 10:47 PM) Story just gets messier and messier, with the parents also claiming that the father of the boyfriend rooutinely brought the kids home drunk, and there is a phone message left by the girl to the mom that is pretty f***ed up. And it seems as if she tried to break the parents up, as well as accusing the father of being a little too 'friendly'. The girl, and family, is messed up. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-25...unk-3-30am.html That voicemail is nothing -- but what is this about her taking a s***? It seems like she's bragging about having taken a s***, as if someone had challenged her ability? Anyway, I've had two exes that spoke to their parents like this all the time and the crazy part was that it never seemed to carry over past the incident. The horrible exchange would happen but an hour later both sides would be totally amicable.

Sign and trade is a possibility, though it would either mean the trade of a player like Butler/Gibson or a completely f***ed up cap situation that was finally getting manageable.

Being a liberal news commentator =/= Limbaugh or even O'Reilly-esque trolling

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Mar 6, 2014 -> 01:24 PM) I wonder how much you actually retain and comprehend that way. Depending on what you're reading, reading is more than just plowing through words to finish a plot. With some authors, how they're using language and the pacing is central to the novel. Authors like Faulkner would be completely ruined by this. I could imagine the best uses would be for reading through textbooks, history books, etc. But think about reading something like Game of Thrones--you're not going to have any time to pause and think about what Winterfell or The Wall actually looks like when you're flying through the story so fast. I'd hope people would take more time to reflect on their textbooks as well - the problem isn't the reading speed so much as the vanishing text

If we were contending, it would make much more sense to carry a starting-caliber depreciating asset on your bench instead of trading him

QUOTE (Stan Bahnsen @ Mar 5, 2014 -> 01:37 PM) I hope we don't trade for Nick Franklin, with all the internal Beckham-replacement options in the queue. I'd love to get Nick Franklin into the fold and allow Semien get seasoning to eventually replace Alexei. If one of the young MIF sticks, we're lucky. Nick Franklin would be an awesome get.

Would we be weird to have to declare whether you will try for 2 or not How about you get 1 point from the 2, 2 points if you kick the 42 yarder? 2 point conversion from the 2 is still 2 points. Conversion from the 42 yard FG distance is 6 points.

If our team can habitually play Booz at 4, we'll survive defensively with Melo at 3