Balta1701

Both CBS and CNN have run reports tonight saying basically this:

New Mexico state giving Texas a heck of a first half.

I wasn't exactly sure where to stick this one since there were plenty of Dems in the pocket of the banks who voted for this bill, but it's interesting, and I pretty much figure this is my thread. Credit Suisse has put out an interesting analysis of one of the effects of the new bankruptcy bill that the Congress passed in 05, making it much harder for people to declare bankruptcy. Their conclusion? By making it much harder for people to declare bankruptcy, Congress may have inadvertently exacerbated the sub-prime and foreclosure issues currently plaguing the housing market. Their argument is pretty simple; it's now much harder for people to file bankruptcy, which used to be an option for people who wound up in financial messes. But without that option, people who can't pay their bills wind up having no other way out of debt other than to completely lose things they'd bought on credit, i.e. their mortgages. Based on that graph, there has been a 50% drop in people who are in foreclosure filing bankruptcy. This clearly can't just be from fewer people getting in financial trouble, and the pre-law change small spike doesn't nearly make up for the 2 year drop. In other words, 50% of the people who used to be able to stave off losing their homes by filing bankruptcy are now going straight to foreclosure, and therefore, helping feed into the mortage issues plaguing the economy right now.

QUOTE(LVSoxFan @ Mar 16, 2007 -> 04:19 PM) If we could just merge Mack's hitting with Anderson's fielding... //Dr. Evil laugh... http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7577/19...hickenfight.jpg

Well, the good news is this is the last we'll hear of this until July. The bad news is we'll hear about this again in July. Hopefully in July it'll finally be put to rest if they can't find any more "evidence".

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Mar 16, 2007 -> 03:50 PM) Could be. I'm not convinced. And I think Anderson and Terrero are both more likely than Perez, but I seem to be in the minority there. But if Erstad is the starting CF, then yeah, Anderson goes down and Terrero/Perez stays. I think Terrero is a lot more likely, since he can play CF (at least in their eyes anyway), and KW and Oz have both stated the need for a backup CF. That, if no other reason, makes Perez highly unlikely to make the team. Well, the good news I see is that Erstad is unlikely to stay healthy for very long at all while playing CF, so that roster spot could open up really quick. And i'm usually one of the guys who hates it when people root for injuries too.

QUOTE(GoSox05 @ Mar 16, 2007 -> 02:53 PM) What do you guys think about Valido and Perez and some of are other infield prospects? Just from the numbers and articles, without having actually seen many of them in person other than a handfull of ST at bats...I'd say that the White Sox should make plans to hold onto Uribe and Iguchi for the next 3-4 years. There's a remote chance that anyone in your minors could pull a Booooone and suddenly turn into a good player...but I'd say the odds aren't with us in this class. QUOTE(Flash Tizzle @ Mar 16, 2007 -> 02:54 PM) I agree, although from quotes and various newspaper articles it appears Sisco's position is all but guaranteed. I have a feeling the final cuts this year are really really really going to piss me off.

QUOTE(Flash Tizzle @ Mar 16, 2007 -> 02:44 PM) Damn, Logan gained some muscle since I've last seen him. Throwing harder as well. It would be so useful for him to actually make the team and succeed...thus giving us the 2nd lefty and putting Sisco in AAA.

QUOTE(santo=dorf @ Mar 16, 2007 -> 02:32 PM) More play by play please. I'm at work and all I know (according to yahoo) is that Valido gave up a homer to Murton. Sorry, your usual PBP guy is watching basketball.

The first American wounded in the Iraq war, who recently came out of the closet, appeared on CNN to discuss Gen. Pace's remarks. Video @ link.

QUOTE(RockRaines @ Mar 16, 2007 -> 02:27 PM) I know there are alot of people out there who dont want to hear it. But I am very encouraged to see Scotty play the way he is playing today. Aggressive, good defense and he appears to be seeing the ball well. All of that would be encouraging if we knew he could still run.

QUOTE(mr_genius @ Mar 16, 2007 -> 02:26 PM) i guess Ozzie said Anderson will either start on the MLB club, or be in AAA. won't keep him as a bench player. atleast thats what i've been told. I know, I know. I'm just saying I don't want the roster to be Erstad/Terrero instead of Anderson/Erstad. I'm talking roster spots. You just have to learn to tolerate my gibberish.

QUOTE(Flash Tizzle @ Mar 16, 2007 -> 02:17 PM) As much as trading Young was heavily criticized from the beginning, Anderson was available. Who's behind Anderson? I wouldn't consider Sweeney an option, either. Well, just because you wouldn't consider Sweeney an option doesn't mean that the management doesn't. And they may also love the hustle of "Terrero" too (honestly, I still wouldnt' be mad seeing him on the bench this year, but not at the expense of Anderson). And by mid 08-09, they may be penciling in Aaron Cunningham at this point.

QUOTE(kapkomet @ Mar 16, 2007 -> 12:38 PM) I think Mr. Armitage is covert, seeing as how he's NEVER mentioned. LOL

By Jesus, Allah, Buddha, Confucious, and Zoroaster, I have no idea how there was no foul called on Nevada there at the end. I'm not sure it was a foul, but I really have no idea how one wasn't claled. And I'm rooting for Nevada and I have absolutely no idea how that was not a charge. Or at least a block. in the OT.

On notice: Butler Maryland Winthrop UNLV VCU Michigan St. Vanderbilt Nevada Dead to me: Old Dominion Davidson Notre Dame Georgia Tech Duke Marquette George Washington Creighton

$5 to anyone who predicted that Texas A&M Corpus Christi would run out to a 10-0 lead on Wisconsin.

QUOTE(kapkomet @ Mar 16, 2007 -> 12:19 PM) This is all a semantics game. People knew who she was, BEFORE the White House people supposedly got involved. Otherwise, there would have been a lot more charges brought up by Fitzgerald. I think the reason there were no more charges brought by Fitz is actually pretty well established. The law about outing a covert CIA operative requires not only that the person outed be a covert CIA operative who has done work overseas in the previous 5 years, it also requires that the leaking be done with the intent to harm national security. The first point I think seems to be established pretty well as correct, but, based on the statements from Mr. Armitage, the first leaking appears to have been accidental. Both Bob Woodward and Robert Novak have testified that Mr. Armitage appears to have accidentally leaked Mrs. Wilson's employment status to Novak. Without witnessed who could testify to intent, it would have been impossible to charge Mr. Armitage. And once Mr. Armitage let the cat out of the bag, that law couldn't be applied any more. Once she was outed by someone, the White House was legally allowed to do whatever they wanted with her name, because that law was no longer applicable. They may not have even known that they weren't the first group spreading around her name, but nothing mattered with respect to that law, as long as they didn't lie to the people doing the investigatin.

QUOTE(Chisoxfn @ Mar 16, 2007 -> 10:26 AM) Works superior than mlb.tv for me. Albeit the quality of the picture isn't as good as mlb.tv. And interestingly, it's actually MLB.tv technology that the NCAA is using to broadcast this thing. Look at the bottom of the video screen...there's an MLB logo.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Mar 16, 2007 -> 11:56 AM) I think right now it is just for flying IIRC. Under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) The proposed implementation timeline has two phases: * Beginning January 23, 2007, ALL persons, including U.S. citizens, traveling by air between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda will be required to present a valid passport, Air NEXUS card, or U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Document, or an Alien Registration Card, Form I-551, if applicable. * As early as January 1, 2008, ALL persons, including U.S. citizens, traveling between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda by land or sea (including ferries), may be required to present a valid passport or other documents as determined by the Department of Homeland Security. While recent legislative changes permit a later deadline, the Departments of State and Homeland Security are working to meet all requirements as soon as possible. Ample advance notice will be provided to enable the public to obtain passports or passport cards for land/sea entries. The passport requirement does NOT apply to U.S. citizens traveling to or returning directly from a U.S. territory. U.S. citizens returning directly from a U.S. territory are not considered to have left the United States and do not need to present a passport. U.S. territories include the following: Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Swains Island, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

QUOTE(FlaCWS @ Mar 16, 2007 -> 12:00 PM) Why exactly is that the case? Doesn't Pablo fill the same role (backup 3B, corner OF) as Mackowiak? Mack is better at both of those roles than Pablo, IMO.

QUOTE(kapkomet @ Mar 16, 2007 -> 11:46 AM) Maybe it wasn't Waxman - but someone asked her "were you told that you were covert?" and she said no. So maybe my "definition" here is off. Ok, I think that closely tracks with the first bit I excerpted there, the question by Tom Davis.

QUOTE(kapkomet @ Mar 16, 2007 -> 11:28 AM) As a matter of fact, she had to admit that she wasn't "covert" in the hearing as well, because Waxman asked the question, and she had to say "no" to that question. USA today is liveblogging the event, and I think that their summary disagrees with how you're presenting it, so I'd like to know your source.

QUOTE(tigerfan @ Mar 16, 2007 -> 11:16 AM) After I typed that it seemed to work itself out. Haven't really had problems since then. Same here. I think I jinxed the problems by writing about them. Which means it'll commence crashing as soon as this posts.

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Mar 16, 2007 -> 10:44 AM) Why on earth would we keep Perez and get rid of Mack? I think the rationale is: 1. He never plays CF again 2. While his versatility is useful...we do have other people who can cover the exact same spots as him, and he doesn't cover the 1 or 2 spots where we really seem to need a roster spot for another backup. 3. It would be preferable to hold onto him and let either Ozuna or Erstad walk and then at the same time use that spot to hold onto Perez or Terrero, but for some reason, our team has gone insane with "Grinding", and thus, we're forced to keep people of lesser talent solely because of the way they play. Mackowiak as a backup 3b, LF, RF, and 2nd b, along with Cintron covering SS and another backup, right handed OF/DH would be a hell of a lot more useful than Ozuna, who covers all of those spots moderately well and can play SS but doesn't hit or defend as well as the other guys...but we just won't drop Ozuna. QUOTE(thedoctor @ Mar 16, 2007 -> 10:49 AM) i've been out of the loop on our games, but wasn't perez hurt at some point this spring? is he back? Strained a calf muscle on Wednesday. No news on how serious it was...couldn't finish rounding the bases...but if it's just a mild strain, he probably won't be out for long.