Middle Buffalo

Not generally a huge fan of Kenny Williams, but I agree 100% with him on this. He said the kid is welcome, just not every day. Like KW said, even half the time is too much, but it's a starting point. LaRoche is a baby. What if one of the guys brought his daughter to shag flies, and she was pretty good. So, she comes the next day. Then she's in the locker room. What's the cutoff? How much is too much? What is off limits? Would guys be happy about a fourteen year old girl hanging around the locker room?

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Mar 10, 2016 -> 10:54 AM) I hope Arrieta gets everything he asks for, and more. Me too. It's funny to hear Bruce Levine talk about Arrieta's demands. Levine basically says that Arrieta's should be happy with a 4/$80M deal because that's a lot of money for anyone. Of course, Levine is a Cubs fan, and that protects the Cubs in the event that last year was an aberration. I don't disagree with Levine, but his reports are always slanted in favor of his Cubbie-dom.

QUOTE (Tex @ Mar 9, 2016 -> 06:49 PM) 88 wins and the team is in the race until the final week. The key will be the first month of the season. They need a fast start. After the Orioles series they need to be 15-9 possible 14-10. If this season starts iff crappy, I just don't see it turning around. Tex & Middle Buffalo - more proof that great minds really do think alike. By the way, I'm pretty sure that's the avatar Tex had when I joined SoxTalk in 2005.

I'll say 88. I'd be more surprised if they're bad this season than if they're good. Last year, it seemed like nobody hit, especially early in the season. Hopefully they can hit early and not waste a bunch of good starts like they always seem to do early in the season.

QUOTE (Tex @ Mar 10, 2016 -> 04:38 AM) What job can you have and be allowed an opinion? Op-ed writer.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Mar 8, 2016 -> 06:06 AM) Well, they could have not given him her room number, and then given him the room next to hers. I think he got the room number by getting connected to her room from a house phone that displayed the room number when connected. Then he requested the room next to her. I'm not saying the Marriott is devoid of guilt or negligence, but is it $55M worth? Did she actually suffer $55M worth of damage? I actually have personal experience with a neighbor stalking my family, and it is not a good feeling. I won't bore with all the details, but my neighbor made it a point to be in our lives over a number of years. It was unavoidable because our kids were basically the same age, so we'd see him at sporting events, school, etc. It made so much of our lives less enjoyable. We eventually had to get an injunction against him because it really affected my wife when he was around. And, he was relentless. Even after the injunction, he always pushed it to the threshold of harassment. Finally, we just decided to move - losing a sizable amount of money in the process. So, I truly feel bad for Andrews. I understand that she won't be comfortable in certain places for a long time, maybe never. Sometimes, though, I have a hard time wrapping my head around large damage settlements.

$55 Million for Erin Andrews from Marriott in her stalking case seem like a little too much to me. I feel bad for her, but I don't think she had $55M worth of damage done to her. I also don't see what Marriott could have done to stop it from happening. Andrews is the victim. Her stalker is the perpetrator. So, how is the hotel on the hook for $55M?

I go to ESPN Chicago to read about Chicago sports. Every other story or tweet on the homepage is from Jesse Rogers about the Cubs. The Sox are covered by the Associated Press. Nice.

Other than going to a game, there was literally no way for me to see a Hawks game until I was a Sophmore in high school. That's when we got cable tv. And even then, I don't think they were available without paying a premium for it. So, I'm a bandwagon fan of the Hawks for sure, but not one in general. I've lived in AZ for the Warner Cardinals, Nash Suns & last year's Cards, and I never went out of my way to watch any of it. Had the Hawks been available to me as a kid, I would have been a fan. Don't underestimate the impact of Bill Wirtz. Reinsdorf/einhorn made a similar mistake with their tv moves.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Mar 1, 2016 -> 05:46 AM) And this goes to the point someone made sort of indirectly about Chris Rock's bit outside the theater in Compton...Maybe I don't identify with Beasts of No Nation and so I don't give it much of a chance, but Spotlight... My main point with using the Compton man on the street bit was to illuminate that there is all this outrage about no black actors being nominated, but who do you think deserved to be nominated? Idris Elba? Ok, I've heard he was great. Who does he replace? Eddie Redmayne? Oh, you didn't see his The Danish Girl? So, how can you have that opinion? I'm not saying no black actors or directors deserved to be nominated. But, who and who do they replace?

When Chris Rock did his "man on the street" thing with black people outside a movie theater in Compton, he asked them if they saw (fill in the blank "white" movie). The answer was pretty much "no" across the board. If, as a community, you largely ignore "white" films, how can you be outraged when black actors/films aren't nominated? If you, as a community, don't see the work done by white actors in "white" films, what is your frame of reference for outrage?

QUOTE (iWin4Ron @ Feb 28, 2016 -> 07:30 AM) Lol, they'll be fine. Yep, it always plays out on the field like it does on paper. I remember following a team that won 99 games and lost in the playoffs. A World Series trophy was all but assured the following season. They had a lead off man coming off a 77 steal season. Power hitting ROY playing next to him in LF. A 25 year old in RF who was one of the best young players in the league. 25 year old power hitting prospect taking over 1B. One of the best power hitters in baseball at DH. Speedy 2B. Future HOF at catcher. Top pitcher coming off a Cy Young season. Two 25 year olds who combined for 32 wins the season before, plus a 29 yr old who was a 16 game winner. Add a 39 yr old future HOF pitcher to the rotation (and have him win 15 games). Oh, and the coaching staff was led by a HOF manager, one of the best pitching coaches in baseball, and a 3B coach who would become one of the best managers in baseball. What could possibly go wrong? I'm still celebrating the 1984 White Sox World Series win today.

It would be interesting to see if today's players had to adhere more closely to rules for dribbling and traveling. I know guys have been traveling for years, but the moving/changing pivot feet, shuffling the feet before shooting, and pausing the dribble makes it almost impossible to guard someone. Makes the NBA borderline unwatchable for me, too. I don't know how, if I'm playing defense and the guy I'm guarding is dribbling, hesitating the dribble, and dribbling again, how am I supposed to stop that? When I see a guy pick up his dribble, I naturally get more aggressive and close up the space between us. In the NBA, the guy just starts dribbling again and blows by me. How am I supposed to guard someone who has established his left foot as his pivot, so I have him trapped, and then he just switches his pivot to the right foot? Big O couldn't get away with that stuff. But Barkley got away with some of it. Sports evolve and change. So, in a way, I agree with some of the old timers, but I tire of hearing the older generations complain about today's generation. That's in life as well as sports. The world wasn't so great In the 40s or 60s or 80s. It was just different.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Feb 27, 2016 -> 09:50 PM) Steph just told Oscar Robertson, isaiah thomas, rip hamilton and every other jealous, old, outdated, crusty fart to taste his asscrack. If he doesn't win the mvp unanimously there needs to be a criminal investigation. Feds, u.s. marshals or whoever. 73 -9 is done deal at this point. Fifteen years from now, Steph will be saying the same thing about the guys in the league in 2031. Every generation thinks they were better than the current generation.

QUOTE (Brian @ Feb 27, 2016 -> 08:31 PM) Sheesh. I just wanted to stop and get a picture. I don't want to pay $30 for that. Buy a postcard.

QUOTE (AustinIllini @ Feb 27, 2016 -> 07:27 PM) Ah, to have good team problems again. Cubs: "What if our franchise player gets bored?" White Sox: "Which has been or never will be is going to play second base?" As a fan, I don't disagree that it's nice to have a wealth of talent. However, players are ultimately selfish. If Schwarber is embarrassing himself in LF again this season, he's not going to want to play there. He'll want to play catcher. Those little types of things may add up. That's all I'm saying. I'm not ready to annoint the Cubs 2016 champs. Personally, I'd like to see the Sox have Abreu spend some time at DH and play LaRoche in the field. I think that would help the Sox in the field, and it might help LaRoche at the plate. But, Abreu doesn't want to do that. To me, that's selfish. It's not inconceivable to me that Bryant may eventually resist playing in the OF. Same with Schwarber. Not every guy wants to be Zobrist. Not every guy feels they have to.

Pretty sure all the national parks charge something. Looks like Grand Canyon is $30 per vehicle. If you plan on visiting more parks in a year, it's worth it to purchase the year pass. http://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/fees.htm

It's great to be stacked with good players and have versatility, but at some point guys are not going to want to sit or play out of position. Bryant's not going to like it when he pulls a hamstring chasing down a ball in the outfield. Fowler won't like it when he's rested, and then his replacement gets hot and Maddon can't take him out of the lineup. I'm sure there's a bit of jealousy in my thinking, but I also think the Cubs rode a magic wave last season, and it's not always easy to recapture that.

I'm not super upset that Fowler didn't sign with the Sox. I think the Sox needed to add an outfielder, but the only ones I would have been willing to part with a pick for signing were Cespedes and Upton. I'm ok with crossing my fingers and hoping Avi makes a leap this year and Melky has a better year.

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Feb 27, 2016 -> 04:12 PM) I hate bumping old threads, but I also hate when posters rip a move with the benefit of hindsight. I think it's Ok to bump this. I only read the first page and it was mostly positive reviews of the signing. I would love to read a column that reviewed someone like Mel Kiper's player analysis prior to a draft compared to their subsequent career achievements. Too often, people are quick to point out their correct predictions while completely ignoring their misses. I think SoxTalk posters' reactions to front office moves are fair game in the same way.

QUOTE (AustinIllini @ Feb 5, 2016 -> 05:14 PM) I'm just tired of celebrating a 30 year old team. While I somewhat agree, there really hasn't been anything like that team in my lifetime. It was the perfect storm of hungry city, unbelievable team, and unmatched personalities. I don't feel like I'll ever see anything like it again. I'll add that it's funny to hear anyone (especially Chicagoans) criticize the Panthers for being arrogant or celebrating too much. No team celebrated more than the '85 Bears. And we all ate it up.

Is it just me, or do most of these big recruits look like they're in their early 20s?

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Feb 3, 2016 -> 02:55 AM) By definition, can we accuse the Yankees for not spending this offseason? I say we do it! You start. I'll second the accusation. The rest of you guys chime in alphabetically.

So, one of the rules of QB play is that you never throw across your body to the opposite side of the field, right? Isn't that what analysts say every time a QB throws an INT on a play like Palmer to Fitzgerald in OT? Oh, it was successful? Great play then! I always laugh at the inconsistency of the criticism by analysts. Successful result = good play. Unsuccessful result = bad play. Great ending. I'm a Bears fan. Respect/don't hate the Packers. I find it really hard to root against Rodgers, but I'm glad the Packers lost.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Jan 11, 2016 -> 12:01 PM) I'm looking at it from this standpoint, changing it to the Bears for example. My wife knows who Jay Cutler is. My wife has no clue who Sherrod Martin is. If Cutler has a similar history as Ben, I have to answer to her as to why I'm still a Bears fan. If Martin has that history, it never becomes an issue. I also know who Jay Cutler is and have no idea who Sherrod Martin is. Asking for a friend, are HickoryHiskers and Middle Buffalo a couple?