Balta1701

From a press release from Senator Mary Landreiu...

QUOTE(WilliamTell @ Sep 3, 2005 -> 02:14 PM) Each of the last 3 teams have been Wild Card winners also. And while I don't know for sure, I'd guess that they had a bit of compitition for the Wild Card spot, so they had to play well to get in and kept it going. On the other hand...it's just as easy to offer up the example of the Cardinals of last year, who took it fairly easy down the stretch all things considered...then got into the playoffs and took out the Dodgers and Braves before running into the Red Sox juggernaut. There's no formula to how a team should be in order to win in October. With the Marlins in 03, don't forget that they had the best record in baseball from the moment they switched managers. It's not a question of who's hottest going into the playoffs. With a 3-0 lead last year, the Yankees looked pretty damn hot. There is no magic formula. The only thing that matters is whether or not you can win 11 games. That is all.

Reportedly the MLBPA is going to challenge Ponson's release.

QUOTE(fathom @ Sep 3, 2005 -> 02:11 PM) We sure do baby Podsednik. If he's such an influence on our lineup, he needs to be playing as frequently as possible. I can't complain that much about babying a guy who seemingly is such a spark to your lineup that your whole offense falls apart when he hits the 15 day DL...especially when you're 1 month from starting the playoffs.

QUOTE(LowerCaseRepublican @ Sep 3, 2005 -> 11:39 AM) Nuke, I fail to see how video links to CNN and Fox News (and links to journals like American Prospect and Salon) are "leftist conspiracy web sites". The government, the governor, FEMA et. al. knew in 2002 that the majority of people in NO would have to get out using an untested emergency evacuation system since they are too poor to have cars etc. THEY DIDN'T EVEN TEST THE SYSTEM TO SEE IF IT COULD WORK. Congress gutted FEMA, didn't reinforce levees despite clamoring for it to be done and waited days to get any substantial response to the area. It was gross bipartisan incompetence. It is terrible mismanagement that has made the already devastating hurricane much worse than it already was. LCR...the professor on the field trip I just returned from made it a point to visit New Orleans earlier this year...on the grounds that he didn't think it was going to be there much longer. I'm not making this up. This was one of those things that everyone just knew was coming, but that the people at the top were too preoccupied to prepare for.

QUOTE(LosMediasBlancas @ Sep 2, 2005 -> 09:06 PM) I agree, there will plenty of time for finger pointing later. Meanwhile, reporters have gotten in and out, politicians have gotten in and out, Hollywood starst have gotten in and out and now even the military is getting in and out, but N.O. residents are still stranded there, dying. Had people not immediately started pointing fingers at the people directly responsible for the insanely poor response (Chertoff, Brown, Bush)...those people may very well have been less likely to actually get off their hands and do anything other than tell us how well things have been going.

QUOTE(ChiSoxyGirl @ Sep 2, 2005 -> 09:43 AM) When I bought my car I went in, told him how much I wanted to spend total, how much I was putting down and told him to show me what was in my price range. I didn't haggle, I just told him exactly what I wanted and would pay upfront; I think I got a good deal. I consider this to be a mistake. I used to sell vacuums for a living. If you go in with a price in your head...the single last thing to do is tell the salesman what it is you're willing to pay, because then the Salesman immediately knows whether or not he has you or not. If you tell him a price that is $500 above the minimum he's willing to sell that car for...he'll try to work you over for another $100 or so knowing full well that he has room to fall back on if things turn bad. And if you tell the guy a price, you'll never, ever see a lower one.

QUOTE(Antonio Osuna @ Sep 3, 2005 -> 09:50 AM) Reality check: 2-0 does not a "strong September" make. Come on man, we're on pace to go 30-0 in September!

Guess who's back...Muhahahahahahahahahahahaha... Let's see...notes from the last week... Great work BMac Great work getting out of that slump Get well soon Joe (can someone tell me if/when he's expected back?) And go get them Tigers boys!

Ok....1 more post before I pass out...this will be # 3001 since I joined right after the season started. Go Get em Jose. Take that right arm and dismantle these SOB's from Seattle. Freddy...Mark...Jon...El Duque...and Jose again...I'll be following y'all in box scores. Go get em. Let's get that "5 Cy Young Winner" rotation back to form, and dismantle these guys. I don't want to see another loss until I'm back in Pasadena And since I won't have an internet connection before Monday...Hope you come back strong Podsie! This is our year. And now it's time to prove that 1 last time...before the final test comes in October.

QUOTE(ceffa2000 @ Aug 27, 2005 -> 12:43 AM) I must say, quite an impressive and enjoyable post for being drunk. My favorite post in a long time. Thanks Balta. Gracias. This will be my last post tonight.(until I'm posting in Cody, Wyoming about 4 days from now and getting my 1st shower since tomorrow morning)..and my 3000th overall...so I want it to be a little bit special.... Right now, I feel like this is our year. Our offense is a complete disaster right now, yet we've still managed a 3 game winning streak after an incredibly painful losing skid. Our guys can't possibly hit worse than this...yet somehow we're still winning...and the 2nd MVP of our team will be coming back on Monday. Right now...I will take whatever the rest of the league (Including those f***ing A's) throw at us. And I will still believe in this team. They won over a lot of people on the night that AJ hit that blast against the Dodgers to beat Brazoban. Honestly...I wasn't even home to watch that game. I took my Fiance to a mall that day. It was a good day. No matter how far we go in the playoffs...I will sit there and point to tonight, sitting in a bar in the middle of nowhere screaming that we can put it on the board about Tadahito...as my moment of this season. I missed the last one. Tonight is mine. I cannot wait to see how this team ends the season. And I really do hope that someone on the 25 man roster reads this thread. Because I don't know how else to express myself beyond this one. Go get em Jose...Freddy...Mark....Jon...El Duque...Tad...and so on. I Can't wait to find out how this story ends.

P.S. Before I pass out...can someone tell me our magic number so I can keep track for the next week?

Hi everybody! I'm currently making use of the wireless, cell phone connection of one of my geobiology professors (Joe Kirshvink) in order to write this post while sitting in a motel room in West Yellowstone, Montana (I love this state...alcohol is so damn cheap!!!!) All I've had the last 3 days to watch te Sox is some combination of USA Today Box Scores and the occasional Sportscenter highlight clip. Right now, I'm drunk off my ass (Bartender screwed up 1 of my white russians so I got 1 free) and I haven't watched a full game in about a week. Let me tell you this...watching the end of that losing skid through USA today was f***ing painful. Ouch. God that hurt. Man I can't wait until Scottie P is back in the #1 spot. But God almighty...these last 3 days have been great. 2 wins in a row against the f***ing Twinkies. In Minnesota. After they swept us in Chicago. That would not have happened even last year. Freddy with the near no-no, Mark and Jon both with great games. God I love those 2, even if I only see them in Box scores for 2 weeks. If one of those 2 doesn't win the Cy Young...I will find a way to have Bartolo Colon or Mariano Rivera beaten senseless. I really don't care which one wins. They both have earned it. Today was the greatest. I'm sitting in a bar downstairs in the hotel watching the score bar at the bottom of sportscenter. And then....in inning number 12, it goes from a 3-3 game to a 5-3 game. I don't care how the Hell it happened, I literally jump out of my chair and scream "Yes"!. Repeatedly. Some of that is the alcohol. A few minutes later...SC does show the highlights of the end of the game...and from the moment Tad swings that bat....I'm screaming "Stretch! Stretch! he looks up you can put it on the board....Y-EEEESSSSS!!! I won't see another game for a week. I just tolerated a gigantic losing streak...1/2 of which I only knew about through the sucky USA today sports page (yesterday they gave front page space to king Feelix, the day before to Clemens...both made me feel quite ill...although the Buffalo Bills (my football team) did have at least 1 article. Let me say 1 thing to y'all while I'm sitting here in West Yellowstone, so drunk I can't tell what I'm misspelling... I will see you guys in October. We responded to a horrible losing skid with a 3 game winning streak. We will win 1 of these next 2 games against Seattle...I care not which one...unless we sweep them. King Feelix's game just went for naught thanks to B.A. And Pods comes back on Monday...and God Willing, he'll remind this team of the value of a single. Hell, Freddie almost pitched a no-no while I'm away, and I only learned about it through highlights a radio news channel. God damn I love this team. I'm buying newspapers just to get the box scores. I saw the score on the bottom of the SC gametracker last night (2 of 3 from the Twins) and ended up so excited that I jogged like 3 blocks and then bought beers for my whole field trip group. I almost hurt myself tonight screaming for B.A's blasts off of King Felix. I'm actually hoping that Joe for 4 is healthy just so he can play 3b in the playoffs. Mark...Jon...Freddie...El Duque....Jose...Paulie...Arow...My man Tadahito...Podsie...Hot Carl...The batter formerly known as Dead, A. "God" J., ''Joe for 3" Crede...Juanimal...Timo "I can't hit" Perez...Dustin "Point at the sky every damn game" Hermanson...Cliffy "Wow" Politte...Neal "Where the Hell did this season come from" Cotts...Damaso "Throw a damn strike" Marte"... Bobby "You can't f***ing see that" Jenks...Luis "Why couldnt' you do this the whole year" Vizcaino...Pablo "Better than you think" Ozuna...Chris "Nobody beats him because he's the" Widger...Ross "I deserve a roster spot" Gload, Brandon "please throw a changeup" McCarthy, Geoff "Who?" Blum, Willie "Trade Me" Harris...Frank "For God's Sake KW RESIGN ME IN NOVEMBER OR YOU SHALL FACE MY WRATH" Thomas...Brian "King Felix Who?" Anderson...and all the other guys I've forgotten due to the vodka... I LOVE EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU. I don't know if any of you can enjoy watching the magic number drop as much as I am right now. Just for the box scores of the last 3 days...I thank you all. Go get em. October is your month. I will probably fracture a knee jumping up and down screaming if you win 1 playoff series. Give me a damn heart attack and a trophy...I beg of you. I have bad knees anyway. Make them worse. Tomorrow...Go Get em Jose. I won't see the game until I buy a USA Today at a gas station 2 days from now. But this is our year. You guys have no idea how happy I was when that 3 turned into a 5 tonight. I literally screamed. Go get em Jose. I hope this streak doesn't end until I'm back in Pasadena...over a week from now. This is the best season of my life. Thank you.

QUOTE(hammerhead johnson @ Aug 19, 2005 -> 02:30 PM) Really? You'd consider Atlanta a dominant team right now? I'll guess that I'd put them in the "Very Good Teams" category with the White Sox, Red Sox, Astros, Angels, Athletics, etc. I don't like their pitching too much. They have made the playoffs for what, 15 straight years now, without breaking the bank any of those years. They have a chance to win just as much as the Cardinals every year, depending on how injuries go. I'd call them incredibly dominant just for how long they've done it.

QUOTE(hammerhead johnson @ Aug 19, 2005 -> 12:52 PM) Really, they're the only dominant team in baseball. It's kind of like the NFL with the Patriots. They have the most depth, the fewest weaknesses, incredible coaching, etc. Atlanta?

Well...we've now gone 20 minutes past H-Hour with no announcement...all you other 46 users reading this chat might just have come in here for nothin.

QUOTE(jasonxctf @ Aug 19, 2005 -> 01:41 PM) what a combination. Al Sharpton and Trent Lott. Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr.

QUOTE(fathom @ Aug 19, 2005 -> 01:35 PM) Or maybe it just so happened that a source who's usually accurate with his information received bad information. Or maybe people in the sports media are as good at evaluating sources as the people writing WMD Articles before the Iraq war.

5 minutes late...this topic has more users in it than some game threads...

It's officially the prescribed time.

Chat a moment ago...

QUOTE(Jim Belushi @ Aug 19, 2005 -> 12:45 PM) Someone at work just said that the score is reporting that mlb sources have confirmed it's clemens and damon, however the announcement is pushed back until tomorrow and that 3 more names will follow in a week or so. Can anyone confirm if they heard this? H.Christ...so no matter what, this thread will go on for at least another week. Anyone starting to wonder if maybe, just maybe, the Score has people listening in because they want to hear more about this rumor...so they just keep making up more of them?

QUOTE(WSNS-TV44 @ Aug 19, 2005 -> 08:35 AM) NEXT YEAR?We can't wait that long. Oh come on...you're in the same city as the Cubs and Sox...no team in America has turned "Waiting till next year" into an art like Chicago.

The real key element that this survey misses is the impact that a channel like Fox News has on the rest of the media. When Fox News picks up a story and flaunts it heavily because it leans right...that leaves other channels feeling like they have no choice but to run with it. It keeps things alive. Think about the Swift Boat Liars for Lies mess last year...who was it who kept pushing and pushing and pushing on that to make sure it stayed on the air? That was Fox News first and foremost. And because they kept harping on it...other channels felt like they had no choice but to let people on the air, and other news organizations, newspapers, etc, followed along with op-ed pieces. So you end up with guys like Corsi getting featured repeatedly on Hannity & Colmes...and a few days later Michelle Malkin is on Chris Matthews's show wondering why no one is asking whether or not Kerry shot himself to get a medal. That is the impact of Fox News...by giving 1 party a mouthpiece, it makes it such that every other channel feels to some degree like they have to go along with it. It keeps stories alive on other networks, and provides free advertising for the Republican party. I wouldn't mind the existence of Fox News if 2 things were true: 1. There was a liberal version of it. There is nothing close to one. 2. They were unable to call themselves "Fair and balanced" when they clearly are not.

QUOTE(Jenks Heat @ Aug 19, 2005 -> 12:01 PM) Don't they get Jared Wright Sunday? Yes we do.