mmmmmbeeer

There's absolutely no need for an all-out rebuild. If the Tigers weren't as loaded as they are, with many prognosticators declaring them the best team in MLB preseason, we wouldn't worry nearly as much about a sluggish start. While we obviously have a few holes, they surely aren't bad enough that we should just scrap it all except for Chris Sale.

It sounds like you're taking this pretty seriously, or maybe she's making you take this seriously, so perhaps my advice/experience isn't very helpful. I actually bought my wife's ring & band off of a private eBay seller....dude apparently was divorced or had a broken engagement and was stuck with the wedding set. My wife had the choice of buying retail/wholesale for a much lesser ring or getting a beautiful ring and band with a nice sized rock (I think it's something like 1.3ct main stone and over 2ct tw) with a little history on it. We had it appraised and the jeweler said it was a win-win deal....the ring appraised for $5k more than I paid for it but said that the seller did well getting what he got for a used set. The wife loves telling her friends what a cheap P.O.S. I am buying a used ring off of eBay but, considering most of her friends are jealous of her ring and she gets mad props for it, she can talk all the trash she wants. There is some safety buying through eBay if the ad says returns are acceptable...just get it appraised as soon as you get it. If it doesn't look as good in person, you can still return it. I don't know...I had a good experience and saved a lot of money.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jan 7, 2013 -> 10:59 PM) The 4 best teams in college football right now, IMO, are Alabama, Oregon, TAMU and Stanford. Replace Stanford with Georgia and I'd agree.

Fascinating stuff the last few days within the GOP. Boehner fails to even put "plan b" on the floor and kicks the cliff to the Senate. McConnell works with Biden and the Senate whips up solid bipartisan support compromise and move it onto the house. Cantor comes out against the Senate bill, Boehner tells his caucus that they should pass the bill but doesn't insist. Cantor says he's in synch with Boehner. Bill comes up for a vote and Cantor votes against it while Boehner votes for it. Paul Ryan votes for it. Boehner abandons his "majority of the majority" rule and the bill passes only thanks to the dems in the house. W. T. F. The GOP is in absolute disarray right now. Unbelievable...never seen anything quite like this. Will Boehner retain the speakership or did Cantor stab in the back just well enough to steal it? We have Rubio and Rand Paul voting against the compromise and Ryan voting for it...how's this play in 2016? What in the holy f*** is going to happen with the debt ceiling??? This debate was small potatoes compared to what's going to happen with the debt ceiling. Unreal.

It's pretty funny reading posts about having Flowers start because he's a good catcher and we'll take whatever he can muster on offense.....when we traded for him, it was the exact opposite....big bat but a horrible catcher. Really speaks volumes about how much work this kid has put into his game. Great read on Hector. Knowing that he appreciates and studies the "art" of pitching, as opposed to just going out there and throwing, makes me want to root for him even more.

He's the most dominant player we've drafted since Frank Thomas. It's going to be a lot of fun watching this kid as he mixes his natural talent with a developing understanding of how to pitch.

How is Valverde not the least liked player in baseball?

QUOTE (iamshack @ Sep 11, 2012 -> 08:38 PM) We just escaped that massive jam and he decides to bring in the guy he doesn't trust to start tomorrow. That's definitely one way to look at it

What pisses me off most about both of those is that he's getting strikes called several inches off that outside corner and, on both of those pitches, threw them at the middle of the plate and they drifted back inside into the wheelhouses of both Jackson and Cabrera. Absolutely no reason to be going inside. Oh well, let's get 'em back!

Whole lot of game left and it's not like Diamond has looked good, much less how he'll look after a 30 min break. Just need the pen to hold them.

QUOTE (Swingandalongonetoleft @ Sep 2, 2012 -> 09:09 PM) Has Delmon Young's face always looked like it's about to pop? :lolhitting That dude looks like the HGH poster boy.

Detroit isn't 41-26 at home for no reason (about to be 42-26)..they're a great home team. The Sox are a .500 road team but terrible at Comerica. I'm not sure how expectations could have been anything but a sweep, perhaps 1 of 3, considering we were facing Verlander and a hot Scherzer in this series (I predicted they'd win Fri night). I'm not sweating this sweep too much...it is what it is. While winning a game or two would have done wonders for the Sox, the odds were greatly against them. We've proven we're a good team and will bounce back from his dreadful road trip.

They've just looked tired this entire road trip. Not just their actions either...they literally look tired when camera catches close-ups.

Sox take 1...tonight.

White Sox starting pitcher John Danks is facing a lawsuit that alleges that he would not call 911 after an accident that left his high school friend paralyzed. The story, via the Chicago Sun Times, is that Danks was hosting Waylon and Blake Papst -- friends of his from high school -- on Aug. 14, 2010 in Chicago when Blake Papst was injured in a fall that left him paralyzed and wheelchair-bound for life..... more at link Outside of drugs or something similarly illegal, I have no idea why in the world they would let him lay there paralyzed "for hours" without calling 911? This seems really, really odd. ***Sorry, didn't see the original post****

QUOTE (chw42 @ Aug 27, 2012 -> 08:00 PM) I can't believe how we'e letting waiver wire pickups kick our ass today. Ford and McLouth have contributed to for all of their runs. I was just thinking the same thing. Tank is about to run into one.

QUOTE (fathom @ Aug 24, 2012 -> 09:56 PM) AJ's pitch calling this inning has been beyond awful. How many first pitch fastballs can we throw to their hitters? I can't believe he didn't go with the change-up to Jaso, as that's Reed's best pitch by far of late. Absolutely. Reed didn't throw an offspeed pitch until the last batter. Inexcusable.

So Romney is already running from the Ryan Budget that he previously endorsed and now the House is up for grabs as the spotlight gets shone brightly on this morally reprehensible "budget". GOP incumbents who voted for it now have to defend their votes to an electorate that, thanks to Mitt's pick, are becoming increasingly aware of just how horrible the "budget" is. Well done, Mitt...well done.

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Aug 9, 2012 -> 05:21 PM) Usually the Red Sox, this year and going forward until you know who is gone it's the Marlins. I want nothing more than to see that sob have continued failure. I was very close to clicking the Marlins for the same reason but I just really can't stand the Tigers trying to buy the division. Ask me this back when I lived in IL it would have been the Cubs without a doubt. Since moving away in '94, I really don't have to hear folks talk about the Cubs so they're not on my radar as much (though I did about pop open some bubbly in '03 after they lost). With the Sox winning it all in '05 and living 700 miles from Chicago, eh, I really don't care about them anymore.

QUOTE (fathom @ Aug 7, 2012 -> 08:05 PM) They had won 5 straight home games before Indians series. They've got a home-heavy schedule this month....just gotta hope they struggle on the road.

Looked like Viciedo was surprised Alexei was after that ball and therefore didn't call him off.....don't think the sun had much to do with it there, Stone Pony.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Aug 4, 2012 -> 11:07 PM) The way our pitching sets up will mean nothing in a one-game wild card matchup. Actually I think it makes a huge difference. We have a great advantage over other teams if we can win the one-game playoff because we have 3 other #1-#2 quality pitchers ready to pitch in the next series. Say you're facing the Angels in the playoff...you throw Sale at them. You win. You go into the next series with TEX trotting out Peavy, Liriano, Q, and back to Sale. The one-game playoff would hurt us much less than teams with lesser rotations.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Aug 4, 2012 -> 05:33 PM) PLAYOFFS? I promise I'm not saying they'll make the playoffs, just excited to think about our rotation should we be fortunate enough to make the playoffs with 4 starters pitching with 3.00 ERAs. I would never jinx us and say that we're going to make the playoffs

I guess I"m just a pessimist because I still find myself doubting the Sox make the playoffs....I think the idea that they would be bad this season was so ingrained into my fandom that I've had a tough time recognizing that this team could be, or is, for real. This morning I read KW's quote about Liriano and how they'd identified some very easy fixes to get him to keep the ball in the zone. I love watching Liriano pitch...loved the deal...and am excited to see how dominant he can become for us. Then this afternoon I started thinking about our potential rotation heading into the playoffs. Guys, we could be looking at a very special postseason. Now I know Sale and Quintana's lasting power is a bit in question. I know Jake could break down anytime. I know Liriano is still somewhat of a question mark being we haven't gotten to see what kind of results Coop can get. I know Floyd is a bit of a mystery. We have 3 starters with ERA's under 3.05. Liriano, if things go as planned, can easily make that mark as well while pitching in a Sox uniform. FOUR AL starters in a single rotation with ERAs at or below 3?!?! We've seen teams head to the postseason with good rotations but the Sox rotation has the potential to shutdown the competition in a series once you remove Humber and Floyd from the mix. I'm not sure there's a better rotation in baseball with the possible exception of a healthy Halladay, Hamels, and Lee trio. If we can stay strong and win this division while keeping our pitchers healthy and fresh, I really think we step into the postseason as, dare I say it, favorites?

Personally, if the Sox offer Jake a reasonable deal (3/40 plus his 4M buyout) and he walks for more money, I'm going to have a tough time still rooting for him. This season is his first real contribution to this team.....he's made a ton of money the last couple years to rehab. To take the money and run, well, it would piss me off. That may be completely unfair but, as a Sox fan, that's the way I'll feel.