TaylorStSox

QUOTE (Jake @ Dec 11, 2013 -> 01:38 AM) I know exactly what you mean. The usefulness of that kind of thinking is determining whether you should have been able to pull off an even better deal, though. The Pods and Vizcaino deal is our example of a deal that works out for everyone, but I think you could still legitimately question that deal on the basis that maybe we could have done even better for a premier hitter like Lee. By getting who? We profiled a target and used an asset to attain him. That trade wasn't about getting perceived value. It was about using an expendable asset to fill a piece that KW thought would improve that specific team. They targeted Pods and spent what was needed to obtain him. It's not a game of accumulating the most WAR. It's a game of finding the best pieces that fit, to go along with the best pitching. We're trying to build a team. We've done it by acquiring a dynamic OF, a prototypical lead off hitter,a super sub with high upside and a prototypical power hitter. If you have 2 aces and you use one to acquire a position of great need, you may have "lost" the individual trade, but you still made your team better.

25/78 looks pretty damn valuable in this climate. He did that at 22. This isn't the era of Richard Hidalgo putting up 314/391/636 with 44 HRs and 122 RBIs and finishing 20th in MVP voting.

It's called a "trade" for a reason. There's no better example than Pods + Vizcaino for Lee.

I've never understood this "won the deal" mentality. It's not a video game. It's not about "winning a deal" based on your perceptions of value. It's about improving the team.

Viciedo is absolutely part of the young core. He might flame out, but he has equally as good a chance of being a premier power hitter. He has some of the best hitting tools you'll ever see.

I've never known what to think of Santiago. He has a good fastball and underwhelming secondary pitches, but still misses a hell of a lot of bats. Ultimately, if Coop doesn't like him, I'll go with that. In Coop I trust.

Didn't the Count break the record for most decisions won in a row? It was like 15 or something. He was definitely an ace.

If aliens landed on earth today and overpowered us with superior technology and an invasion of disease, I wouldn't call it a "war."

QUOTE (DukeNukeEm @ Dec 7, 2013 -> 12:07 PM) It was a war. The natives knew what war was. It took them a minute but they even grasped the consequences of losing that particular war. Then they lost. Losing sucks, but for there to be a winner... Its been called a genocide but I disagree with that. It wasnt a systemic, targeted elimination. The point wasnt to kill Natives but to get their land. Do you get drunk and hit your step kids?

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 7, 2013 -> 11:48 AM) It's finally happened. I've been pushed to the point where I have zero choice but to agree with Duke on a post. You rationalize genocide by saying the victims were also kind of bad people? Marvelous. Mandela fought for equality. Europeans fought for exploitation. Their motives were slightly different.

QUOTE (Tex @ Dec 7, 2013 -> 10:15 AM) I agree he didn't write anything close to that. In fact that is my point. That if it was phrased better, and by someone who has not posted ugly racist posts prior, it would not have been so soundly denounced. And I wasn't trying to make any excuses either. What I was trying to point out is the kernel of truth in Duke's ugly racist posts. Mandela was not a saint from birth. I believe Mandela became one. It highlights the remarkable ability and potential for all of us to change. "Native Americans was a war of conquest that they lost. Back then wars for land happened, if they wanted it so bad they should have fought harder for it."

QUOTE (DukeNukeEm @ Dec 6, 2013 -> 01:45 PM) I had been drinking and went a little off the res. Lets reel this back in. I dont hate Nelson Mandela, I actually kind of admire Mandela's violent streak to an extent. He did what he thought he had to do, it was bad in South Africa and peace wasnt going to solve anything. What I have a problem with is him indiscriminately targeting civilians and the brutality he oversaw. He was not a saint as so many like to portray. He killed a lot of people. His party did f*** the country up something fierce, too. They broke Apartheid but replaced it with a corrupt, wicked demon child that is doing serious harm to those people. I dont condemn him for being a terrorist or communist, his ideology is his business and the institution he was terrorizing deserved it. But, and its a big but, he did some stuff that cant be reconciled away. He tried to leave South Africa a better place than he found it but in the end the country has managed to get worse and the means no longer justify the ends. Drinking inspires you to be a mean spirited bigot? You must be the life if parties. I seriously hope you don't have any kids.

The show runners met with Martin twice this year to get the details on how the story ends. The show will pass the books. There's no doubt about it.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Dec 5, 2013 -> 07:16 PM) GoT is around as long as there is book material. They are catching up to the books quicker than they are being written The show runners know the ending. They'll pass the books.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Dec 5, 2013 -> 05:06 PM) Sounds like you just don't like the shows setup, which is fine. The show was never really about one guy, it's about several groups of people. I like most of the characters on the show and I think it's interesting when the writers do some back story on them. The characters were initially all closely connected but now they've spread out and because they've done a good job with the "meaningless scenes" they've created interesting characters with their own problems and issues that need resolving. Van Alden is a perfect example. 3 season ago you could have said all the weird scenes with him alone were not necessary but it all added to his transformation into a member of Capone's crew. Fair enough. Maybe I just don't like the characters.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Dec 5, 2013 -> 04:47 PM) One show I really wish they hadn't canceled is "How To Make It in America". I really liked that one. I liked it, but everything was just so convenient and formulaic. It did remind me of hanging out with the art school/hipster crowd before we all got old. None of us were that good looking though.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Dec 5, 2013 -> 04:32 PM) I'm not sure what that means. IMO the show sometimes has too many characters and not enough time to tell the various stories. I don't think the problem is lack of good stories to tell. I agree Nucky isn't the best but I think he's interesting enough to be the "main" character. And really he's been less and less the main story. He just happens to be the main character connected to all of the others. Like Richard, I think Jimmy's story ran its course. He was Nucky's guy and then he back stabbed him. There was no coming back from that. The show is filled with meaningless scenes and conversations that have little to no consequences or connection the main plot. Gillian's character was completely useless and only allowed Richard to stay relevant and connected. Her scenes were awful since Jimmy's death. Van Alden is just a vehicle to include Chicago. Margaret? Who cares? Did Rothstein have any important scenes this year? They've wasted Lansky and Luciano. Part of the reason they have so many characters is because the main character is awful and boring. The show should have focused on Jimmy from the very beginning with Nucky being a mentor and plot catalyst. The main problem with the show is that I don't give a s*** who lives or dies because all the characters just aren't compelling. Chalky's the closest thing, but his dialogue is trite and his character is over-acted.

I'm still mad that HBO killed Bored To Death. That was hilarious.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Dec 5, 2013 -> 04:07 PM) I've never seen a show that struggles to fill time as much as Boardwalk. It's 90% filler. I've never missed an episode though. Sunday night is the only time I watch TV, so it's kind of a ritual. The show would have been much better if it focused on Jimmy as the protagonist. Nucky is dry and unlikable. He just isn't compelling in any way. I don't like or dislike him, he's just there. The writers dug themselves a hole when they had Jimmy sleep with his mom. After that, they had to kill him and the show has suffered.

QUOTE (Chilihead90 @ Dec 5, 2013 -> 03:13 PM) Apparently Season 5 will be Boardwalk's last season. Will only be 8-10 episodes as well. I guess Terrance Winter said he wants to work on other projects. I hope one of those projects is a Chicago spinoff of Boardwalk with Al Capone. Call it "The Outfit" or "Chicago Outfit" or something. A couple years too late. It would have been much better off as a mini series and hasn't been good since season 2.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Dec 5, 2013 -> 01:33 PM) So you are saying because they wanted to be more flexible back then, it was dumb. Now, signing Paulie makes them less flexible and that is dumb. We need circus music. I really don't care about this signing, but honestly, you're getting beat up in this thread.

I have a Griffin Defender. It's bulky, but really tough. I've thrown my phone several times and it's never had a scratch.

The only way this makes sense is for the Sox to inflate Dunn's numbers by hiding him against certain pitchers, to make his value go up. They've said they'll platoon them, so i guess it makes sense.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Dec 3, 2013 -> 05:28 PM) It's not like I suggested Zac Efron or Freddie Prinze, Jr., lol. This whole thread is kind of amusing. I mean, there's this "I'm above watching F&F movies" based on ratings/reviews, etc. C'mon, I'm sure that many people who post on this thread and watch movies like THE ARTIST, Winter's Bone, Requiem for a Dream or the majority of Academy Award-nominated movies have also watched some of the F&F movies as well. The bottom line is whether a movie is entertaining or not, yes? For example, there are many weaknesses in the Gravity film, not only scientifically but dialogue-wise with Sandra Bullock's character, but is it a FUN/ENTERTAINING film to watch that gives some who will never experience the thrill of space a SOMEWHAT similar feeling? Sure. And because of Cameron's blessing and the presence of favorites Clooney and Bullock, it will undoubtedly be one of the Academy Award favorites as well, although that's 80-90% based on CGI/special effects/cinematography. You don't have to do 3 movies with Soderbergh to have credibility in Hollywood. Maybe it will be someone totally out of left field, like Mario Lopez or Mark Wahlberg. Who knows? Shia LeBouef, haha. The last couple of movies in the series have been HUGE HUGE HUGE successes, especially internationally. Just the fact that they're now on the 7th one should tell you something. And probably the best one of all, from a cinematic standpoint, Tokyo Drift, is the one the fewest people have seen, since it was pretty much straight to DVD. Bringing in Lucas Black to replace Walker might be the most logical move of all, if you look at the series arc. Just not sure he's a big enough star or name anymore to fill Walker's shoes. And his accent can get a bit wearying. This diatribe is so off base. I don't care if you like bad s***. America likes bad s***. It's not about art house vs bad s***, it's about Ryan Gosling accepting being a part of a Happy Meal. Not going to happen.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Dec 3, 2013 -> 11:56 AM) Oh you are SO HARD! What can I say? Gosling's an attractive guy.