ptatc

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Jun 8, 2016 -> 03:24 PM) Voting for the one who isn't a thin-skinned con artist with no apparent grasp on policy at all and is a big racist to boot seems like a pretty easy call? There are plenty of problems ie. honesty and integrity on the other side as well.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Jun 8, 2016 -> 03:14 PM) "At least our candidate isn't a Giant Orange Racist Baby" is a fine selling point. This is why deciding between the two is really going to be tough.

QUOTE (Lip Man 1 @ Jun 8, 2016 -> 02:49 PM) In my opinion a little of both. But Kenny to me is the single biggest issue with this organization. Mark I would disagree with JR as they have spent money just not allocated it well. KW isn't the current GM he still has oversight but he focuses more on scouting than being the day to day GM. The one to look at is Hahn. Have his moves since he has been GM been good? The results sure haven't. however, by public perception if Hahn goes KW will need to as well because he will still be the fans scapegoat.

QUOTE (Lip Man 1 @ Jun 8, 2016 -> 02:08 PM) And regarding the salary cap issue. As long as the MLBPA is among the strongest unions in the world MLB will NEVER have a salary cap. I've very confident making that statement. So either you learn to live with it, adapt, spend money and succeed or you swim against the current, consistently lose and alienate your fan base. It's simply a matter of choice although I understand there are many more factors, stadium lease, concession / parking revenue, MLB as a whole almost literally printing money today with all the revenue streams. Frankly the desire to actually win among some owners may not be all that strong anymore. Mark I agree here as well. hence, JR telling his heirs that keeping the Bulls is the better option.

QUOTE (bmags @ Jun 8, 2016 -> 01:47 PM) The sox strategy of being a lower-half payroll team that will stay competitive through free agency signings doesn't seem like a strategy anyone would advise. But here we are. They aren't lower half. The 25 man roster ranks 8th in salary.

QUOTE (Lip Man 1 @ Jun 8, 2016 -> 02:03 PM) If the salary money isn't allocated properly, it really isn't. Part of it is the money is and has been spent on players who weren't that good. Dunn, LaRoche and Danks come to mind. How about the money paid to Jeff Keppinger a guy the Sox signed and paid with a bum shoulder? Mark Correct. So when he said that it's primarily JR's fault, I would disagree. The is money being spent. How it is being spent is the issue. So is it JR or front office?

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jun 8, 2016 -> 01:11 PM) But by fighting against that, JRs made this league reach a state where teams that don't have the highest payroll regularly make the playoffs and win the world series. MLB has, thanks to the structure they've built, much more turnover in their playoff teams and much better competitive balance than happens in the other 2 major sports (I don't remember if I've seen similar numbers for Hockey or not). The big market teams have something of an advantage, but the world series winner has been a top 5 payroll team only 3 times out of the last 10 years. It's an obstacle, if you're a team like the Padres or D-Backs or Orioles or Rays you can't make bad decisions because those high payroll teams will be in the way, but it's no where near an obstacle that can't be overcome. It's still not as effective as leagues with a salary cap. Anyway the point was the poster was trying to make it sound like JR wanted his heirs to sell the Sox and keep the Bulls because he doesn't care about the Sox as much. Which is actually the opposite because of the huge baseball fan he is. The true reason he told them to keep the Bulls is 1. He actually owns the Bulls whereas he owns a small portion of the sox and 2. It's much easier to compete in the NBA due to the salary cap structure.

QUOTE (Thad Bosley @ Jun 8, 2016 -> 10:47 AM) You are absolutely correct. The angst over the current stretch of losing is misplaced. Ventura is merely playing the hand he's been dealt. He's not the one who, in an attempt to "upgrade" several positions that contributed to the league's worst offense last year, went dumpster diving last winter to do so. Rollins, Jackson, Avila, and even Navarro were the results of dumpster diving by the front office. And not to mention, but Ventura was originally going to have to trot out LaRoche again, too, only to then be forced the need to employ one Avi Garcia instead. So my frustration at this point lies more with Hahn, Williams, and You-Know-Who more so than Ventura. At the same time, as I mentioned earlier, managers are hired to be fired, so I do think he needs to go at this point. But that is only curing a symptom rather than the true root cause of what continues to ail the White Sox. So what you're saying is that the 8th highest 25 man roster isn't good enough to compete?

QUOTE (GreatScott82 @ Jun 8, 2016 -> 11:53 AM) This is so depressing but it is likely true. From what I'm hearing, when JR passes, he told his family to sell the White Sox and hold on to the Chicago Bulls. FWIW. Apart of me really wants JR to win one more title before the Cubs get theirs, unfortunately the Cubs are much closer than we are. How did they get there? The new owner made some bold moves and brought in a GM who made the bold decision to tank for 4+ seasons in an attempt to replenish the team with young talent and right now they are enjoying the fruits of that hardship. It pains me to say, Reinsdorf does not have it in him to make these type of bold moves. I'm not saying-- let's lose for 4+ seasons to build up the farm. However, when your front office tries over and over again to patch up the team via trades, middle of the pack free agency signings and continuously neglects the farm, why should we even expect to see different results? This lightning in a bottle method needs to end. The problems of this team goes well beyond Robin (who i dislike as a manager). The problem of this team is a true lack of direction. In 2013-14 I saw the promise of a team actually acquiring young talent and they put a premium on draft picks. Suddenly 2015 hit and instead of maintaining the course- they decided to prematurely GO FOR IT! Which meant the farm system once again took a back seat and the evidence on the field demonstrated that they were not even near ready for that yet. By the look of it this year, even with the additions of Frazier, Shields and Lawrie-- they are still not even close to where they want to be. They will be lucky to finish .500 this year. How much longer will they try this 'retooling' crap? I guess we can question their methods until the cows come home and crave change as much as want, unfortunately nothing will change with this team until that time where the Riensdorf family does sell to new ownership. Because of the awful imbalance in the salary structure with no salary cap that makes it difficult for teams to compete with the "richest" owners. JR has said many times that it's mostly who spends the most money has the best chance of winning. He has fought against that for decades.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jun 7, 2016 -> 05:12 PM) Pain coming from the neck to the arm wouldn't concern me so much, could be a sublexation or a pinched nerve, but it kind of alarms me they would take an MRI . They did the MRI to rule out a cervical disc issue. This tells me it's most likely a nerve issue. The question would be what is "pinching" the nerve if there is no disc involvement.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jun 7, 2016 -> 04:13 PM) Re-reading the title of this thread... I have to laugh at how many completely odd turns this thread has taken. The posters way of making a catch-all since the mods don't want them.

QUOTE (ptatc @ Jun 7, 2016 -> 05:06 PM) Muscular things don't send pain down the arm. Could this be another reason why they traded for Shields so soon?

QUOTE (Jose Paniagua @ Jun 7, 2016 -> 04:15 PM) Connor McKnight ‏@C1McKnight 24s24 seconds ago Chicago, IL Rodon will skip his Thursday start. Discomfort in neck. Went down to arm. MRI was clean. Muscular thing. Gonzalez will slide in. Muscular things don't send pain down the arm.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jun 7, 2016 -> 03:12 PM) Buddy Bell was mentioning the Latin players who are signed after these showcases, and how they really don't play games. They just train to get signed. After they are signed, many don't know which base to throw or how to run the bases, situational hitting.. any of the nuances of the game most take for granted, because their actual game experience is so limited.. Never heard that one. Aren't usually 16 though? They should have a good 4-5 years in the minors to learn.

QUOTE (knightni @ Jun 7, 2016 -> 03:29 PM) Actress Theresa Saldana, 61. RIP. I remember that horrible attack on her in the early 80's. It was a miracle she survived that.

QUOTE (shipps @ Jun 7, 2016 -> 02:06 PM) This is great information. I don't think many people believe there are ANY negative side effects to weed. There are side effects they just aren't the ones that are immediate like the "take one hit and it will kill you." This is my problem with making it legal. I really don't care what people want to do to themselves but if it increases the use, it will put a bigger drain on the healthcare system which is already messed up.

QUOTE (Black_Jack29 @ Jun 7, 2016 -> 02:39 PM) Yep. Rooting for one's favorite sports team should be a hobby, and nothing more. Especially if you work, have a spouse, and have kids. I think it does change though. Prior to having a family, the sports world was important, as kids came along it fell back. As the kids got older and move out, there is less going on around the house and the sports world has begun to climb the daily ladder.

QUOTE (Lip Man 1 @ Jun 7, 2016 -> 02:35 PM) It almost sounds like you were a team doctor or a team physical therapist. Mark I'm a physical therapist and athletic trainer. I've worked for many different organizations, professional and amateur.

QUOTE (Lip Man 1 @ Jun 7, 2016 -> 02:46 PM) Unfortunately in baseball as in many other sports, fundamental skills have gone by the wayside in favor of an attitude of "what will get me on ESPN highlights?" Mark not only that but players are coming to the MLB with less games in the MILB in many cases. The learning in the MILB hasn't occurred.

QUOTE (Alexeihyeess @ Jun 7, 2016 -> 11:21 AM) Wanna go watch them get swept by a divisional opponent because they dont really care again? You really need more proof this team is mentally weak? Do you honestly think the players aren't trying?

QUOTE (MEANS @ Jun 7, 2016 -> 01:11 PM) What? Consistent marijuana use is pretty much a guaranteed ticket to a heart attack. THC does a number of these to the body. The primary effect is being powerful anti-inflammatory drug. This is why it's prescribed for things like glaucoma. However, it also slows the healing process because of this and makes injuries take much longer to heal. It also has about a 5x the effect of tobacco in causing cardiac issues.

QUOTE (Lip Man 1 @ Jun 7, 2016 -> 01:14 PM) Understood and I respect that view. Sometimes I wish I could be more like that but I'm not. As I explained to South I happened to grow up perhaps in the only time in franchise history where if they lost (i.e. at the end of the season they actually had a losing record) it was inconceivable. That tends to color how you view things. And given the success the Sox had in that time period that view wasn't necessarily a bad thing in my opinion. I go back to late May 1961 when the Sox lost a DH to Baltimore and for a day or so dropped into last place for the first time since 1950. They'd finish the year in fourth place with another winning record. This actually happened. Some aldermen in a Chicago city council meeting brought up the fact the Sox were losing, in last place and thought the city should allocate some "disaster funds" for them. (Now I'm sure they were joking) That really reflected the overall attitude of the city though about what was expected from the Sox. The 'motion' by the way was defeated with the alderman from the Cubs ward saying it wasn't fair, that the Cubs were a disaster for decades. LOL (Wonder what would happen if they said something like that today? LOL) Mark I can see that. I think working for so many different pro and amateur sports teams has taken some of the intensity out of my "must win" attitude. For years it was just keep them on the field or get them back ASAP. After awhile it becomes, is the one more win really worth all of this? I understand it it from the athletes and management point of view but from a long term health position it can be very different.

QUOTE (Lip Man 1 @ Jun 7, 2016 -> 12:59 PM) I think the best way to sum up my feelings PTATC is to say I like baseball but I love the White Sox. And when the Sox are doing poorly baseball has very little appeal for me. I don't care to watch other successful teams and wonder why it is the Sox can't do the same thing. Just the way I'm wired. Winning means more to me personally that the sport itself. Not saying you are right or wrong just that we take different approaches to this. Mark That's fine. Everyone has their own point of view. I was just joking about the response to your post. I love the game of baseball. i don't like to see the Sox lose but I can still enjoy a game if they lose unless the play is really awful.

QUOTE (illinilaw08 @ Jun 7, 2016 -> 12:54 PM) The negative impact of racism in one direction is much more severe than it is the other way. That's the missing part of this conversation, and I don't think there's any evidence out there that can refute that fact. Yes, but for that to come out in the election or debates, there would need to be an admission of racism the other way and the media would go crazy with it.

QUOTE (bmags @ Jun 7, 2016 -> 09:12 AM) What stage of grief are we on? Are we only on denial still? I am. i may vote for the guy with the boot on his head. But honestly, I'm really going to have to dig into both of the candidates to decide which is the lesser of two evils. This could be the election that I've researched the most ever.