Credepopsup

Thome.

Dye.

QUOTE(longshot7 @ Mar 23, 2006 -> 08:39 PM) I read it - good post. Question: What are transfer fees? Is this a commission on top of the money made when one team sells a player to another? Why don't more teams trade players instead of selling them? Dbaho's pretty much covered it, A transfer fee is simply the fee paid to acquire the player. There is no limit on a transfer fee, and the current record is £44m ($76.2m). There is no commission or anything like that. Here's a list of some of the biggest transfer fees ever paid.. http://endlesssoccer.tripod.com/transfers/...d_transfers.htm The amount paid comes down to the two teams in question negotiating until they are both happy - Many transfers fall through because of a difference of opinion on the value of a player. I don't know why trades aren't more common. They do happen occasionally, but even then a fee is usually involved - ie. Team A gets a Player, Team B gets a player and cash. A straight swap of players is very rare. I'd like to see trades become more popular, but money talks, and a football club that's in financial trouble (which is becoming increasingly common) can relieve some pressure by selling some players.

QUOTE(Mplssoxfan @ Mar 21, 2006 -> 05:32 PM) I'm not happy he correctly correlated Spurs with the Cubs and the Arse with the White Sox. Oh, well if Spurs can hold off the hated ones and Bolton for the last Champions League place, that will be alright. Sorry about the Spurs-Cubs thing, but the similarites between the two clubs and sets of fans is uncanny. It would be a great effort by Spurs to get 4th place, but I don't see them doing it. Arsenal are running into form and have a slightly easier schedule ahead of them. April 22nd - Arsenal vs Tottenham could be the decider. It should be quite a game.

QUOTE(Jimbo's Drinker @ Mar 21, 2006 -> 08:06 AM) also why do players switch teams so quickly, is there a large free agency of smoe sort. Yes, there is free agency. If a player is aged 21 or over, he can leave his team at the end of his contract with no compensation to be paid. We call this leaving on a "Bosman" which is the name of the player who got the rule put in place, by taking his team to the European court of arbitration. This rule has put a strain on football clubs resources, as many rely on transfer fees to keep their finances stable - Players worth upwards of £20m can now leave for nothing, so they are sold for less than they are worth before their contracts run out. Contracts are rarely longer than 4 years long, so the turnover of players is quite high, and players who stay with the same team for their entire career is almost a thing of the past. Every team has an academy, and reserve team. This is where youngsters are trained and play games for up to 3 years. If they are good enough they are signed to professional contracts. Unfortunately (for them) most players at Premiership academies are not signed, so end up signing contracts with teams further down the leagues to get into the pro game. Jimbo's Drinker - Here are my MLB comparisons for 5 or 6 teams..(Almost impossible to do accurately, but I'll try..) Chelsea (London) - Used to be a mid market team who won an FA Cup now and again. Now they are the Yankees - They have more money than everybody else, they've "bought" the league two years running, and they have thousands of bandwagon fans. Everybody hates them. Manchester Utd - Up until two years ago they were the hated Yankees. Chelsea came along and took that hono(u)r, so they are now the Boston Red Sox - A good team, with some great players, but they are not going to win the championship too often with Chelsea around. Their fans are also annoying. Arsenal (London) - They win playing football the right way - Like them or hate them, they are great to watch. They also win a title now and again, despite not having the resources of Chelsea or Man Utd. Play the game well + not the biggest budget + title winning potential = Arsenal are the White Sox. Liverpool - Still the most successful team in English football history despite not winning the title for 15 years. It's difficult to compare them to a team. The number of titles they've won compares to the Yankees, but they've not won one for 15 years..They have good players, but never quite get it right. St Louis Cardinals. Tottenham (London) - Haven't won the league for 45 years. Their fans think they are better than they actually are - some of them are beyond stupid. They have a good season now and again, but for a big club like Tottenham it's not enough - Cubs. West Ham (London) - An up and coming team. They have lots of young players who are only going to get better. You never know whats going to happen in a West Ham game - they could score lots 4 or 5, but just as easily concede 4 or 5. Don't go to the toilet during a West Ham game, you'll miss something. They are the Cleveland Indians. Charlton (London) My team, so I have to include them.. - A team with a very small budget, who rely on bargain signings and the occasional youth player to compete. No chance of winning a Premiership title, but do finish in the top half quite regularly. - Milwaukee Brewers. If you've bothered to read this long post about a game you probably hate. Congratulations. PM me and I'll put you in the "I read Credepopsup's long and boring soccer post, without falling asleep" club.

1) A White Sox starter will win 20 games - Fiction 2) Joe Borchard will get the last roster spot - Fiction 3) Lopez will be the 2nd left handed reliever - Fiction 4) Thome will hit more than 35 homers - Fact 5) Uribe will still be hitting 2nd at the All-star break - Fact 6) Javier Vazquez will win 15 games - Fiction 7) Brian Anderson will hit over .260 - Fiction 8) Jon Garland and Jose Contreras will have ERA's under 4 - Fiction One of them may achieve it. I don't see both of them doing it. 9) Scott Podsednik will steal more than 45 bases - Fact 10) Bobby Jenks will save more than 35 games - Fiction 11) Tadahito Iguchi will hit over .280 - Fact 12) Jermaine Dye will play more than 145 games - Fiction 13) Joe Crede will hit over .260 - Fact 14) Paul Konerko will hit over 40 homeruns and drive in more than 100 again - Fiction He'll get 100 RBI's, but not 40 Homers. 15) The Sox will improve their team ERA (3.61) - Fiction 16) The Sox will make a trade for a major league player at the deadline - Fact 17) The Sox will finish in the top 5 in the AL in runs scored - Fact 18) Jermaine Dye will drive in 90 runs - Fact 19) The Sox will win the AL Central - Fact 20) The Sox will return to the World Series - No Comment I don't want to jinx it.

Thanks, everybody.

QUOTE(SoxFanForever @ Feb 23, 2006 -> 09:35 PM) Well, I did hear something about Mark Madsen, Griffin and someone else going to the Bulls for Pike + Harrington. Who knows though. That's what I read - A deal involving Griffin and Harrington. EDIT - (bad grammar..)

QUOTE(SleepyWhiteSox @ Feb 23, 2006 -> 09:23 PM) Source? It's very much an internet rumor - Nothing official at all, but as the thread said rumors/news, I thought I'd post it. It's on a few boards, but I read it at Real GM. 99.9% chance it's bulls***.

I read that the Bulls And T'Wolves have an extension until 6pm ET. It's probably bulls***, though.

The BBC are saying that the amount stolen could be as high as £50m ($87m), and that the police have already made two arrests in connection with the robbery, today.. ..Isn't it amazing what a £2m ($3.4m) reward for information leading to the capture of the robbers can do for an investigation!?!

QUOTE(nitetrain8601 @ Feb 21, 2006 -> 03:49 PM) Well in all of my leagues Wilkerson didn't get drafted at all. That surprises me. He's worth a late rounder He was crap last year in that big ball park, but 32 home runs in 2004 and the fact he's now playing half his games in Arlington, can't be ignored.

If you like, I could drop out to make the number an even 10. My computer is on the way out (it keeps freezing for up to two minutes at a time!?!), and it probably won't make it to Sunday without f**king up further. It may sound stupid, but if my s***ty computer prevents me from drafting live, I'd prefer not to draft at all - If I'm going to have a horrible draft, then I'd prefer it was my fault and not at the whim of a computer and my rankings. I'll pre rank my players just in case you need me to stay in the league, but I've got no problem dropping out. Let me know in the next day or so.

12 team Roto League. Picked 11th. Only the 2nd fantasy baseball team I've ever drafted. Be gentle.. C - Posada 1B - Huff, Kotchman (took a flyer on him in the last round) 2B - Cano 3B - Chavez, Beltre (16th round, couldn't resist, will put him in the Utility spot) SS - Lugo, Uribe OF - Abreu, Bay, Dye, Wilkerson (18th round - a steal, imho) SP - C.Zambrano, Harden, Lackey, L.Hernandez, C.Young, Loaiza, Penny. RP - F.Rodriguez, F.Cordero Batting average isn't great (it's s***ty actually), and steals are a concern - only Lugo (39), Abreu (31) and Bay (21) got over 20 last year. A third reliever would've been good so I'll probably drop Loiaza or Penny for another RP. It was a bit of a risky draft, as some of these players underperformed last season, and if they don't "bounce back" I've got no chance. Rip away..

QUOTE(ChWRoCk2 @ Feb 14, 2006 -> 09:01 PM) I moved the date to a Sunday at 4pm central, does this time work for ya? If not it can be changed That's fine. Thanks again.

I've registered as "Cellar Dwellers". Sorry to be a pain in the ass, but is there any way of moving the draft to an earlier time? I really want to play again this year, but a 4am start time isn't great. I could handle a 1-1.30am (7-7.30pmCT) start, but not much later than that. If this isn't possible then let me know, and I'll delete my team so you can replace it with another. Thanks.

I've seen a lot of Freidel and Howard play in the Premiership, and whilst Friedel is the better of the two, I wouldn't have either of them in the top 10 or maybe even 20 goalies in the world. No way.

I'll play again. I was in League 6 last year. Live draft, head to head, please.

Pittsburgh

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Jan 20, 2006 -> 05:30 PM) Nah, that's just the Queen Mum going for a dip... Kidding! It would be pretty impressive if it was.. ..especially when you consider the fact, that she's dead.

QUOTE(Steve Bartman's my idol @ Jan 21, 2006 -> 02:13 PM) Damn "Cheese-eating surrender monkeys"! As an Englishman, it's my duty to never miss an opportunity to break this gif out.. I can't stand him, the two faced bastard..

Seattle Denver

This week I shall jinx.. Saturday Seattle New England Sunday Indianapolis Carolina

The semi final week was disasterous.. Congrats on the win, Jackie.

Tampa Bay New England NY Giants Cincinnati