mmmmmbeeer

QUOTE(Guillen'sGuy @ Apr 12, 2006 -> 02:25 PM) Nothing to do with today's game, but wanted to hear some thoughts about Freddy. I saw his first game this year and his velocity was way down. Did he look any better or have any added velocity in his second start? Much better.....hitting up to 94 on the gun and was challenging hitters with a well located fastball rather than throwing a bunch of junk. Looks like the pitching is getting back on track. Thumb. I kinda like that.

QUOTE(JimH @ Apr 10, 2006 -> 06:05 PM) Yes, I thought they called the HR nicely. Also on Crede's HR their color guy interjects right after the HR "He's a big time player" and goes on to add "He gets lots of clutch hits for them". Small sample but they seem like good announcers to me. With extra innings we get to here a lot of out-of-town guys and DET is way up on the list of my favorites to listen to. I don't remember their names either but the color guy knows the Sox better than any tv announcer in the league outside of Hawk and DJ. The color guy for TEX is kickass as well.

I don't know...I've been somewhat disappointed with Thome's inability to be diverse and flexible. I mean he's a great team player and everything, but the fact that he's failed to hit any f***ing bombs shorter than 400ft is kinda showing up his teamates. I'd like him to toss in a couple 350ft shots here and there, atleast try to appear human. Outside of Sheffield, I can't think of a guy with a faster, more powerful swing than Big Jim. No doubt guys like Pujols, Cabrera, hell, even Paulie have better mechanics to their swing and look more graceful, but based on a pure POWER swing, f***in' Thome, man.

can anyone describe the play please?

I'd just like to say "f*** you very much, kc" for blacking me out of this game down in Tulsa. Sounds like Thome smashed it, distance mentioned?

I've got an online course I'm taking that requires atleast Quicktime 5 to run the video portion. I've got Itunes installed which has QT-7 embedded. So, of course, I think I'm good to go....until I realize that the video isn't compatible with QT-7. So I tried to install QT-5 or 6 but that requires me to uninstall I-tunes. I tried this once and thought I lost my music collection (fortunately I didn't) but really don't want to run that risk again. Does anyone know of a way to have both QT-5 or 6 on your computer while also having Itunes and the default QT-7? *Incidentally, I also tried logging into another profile on my computer and installing in from that user's documents. Didn't work being it still knew that Itunes was installed on the computer.

Nomah back on the 15 day DL after getting hurt while swinging the bat in his first plate appearance.

Cookin' up some ribeyes on the grill along with some baked potatos and stuffed mushrooms. Got the shaker out and ready to shake some martinis about the time that banner drops. Got the wife ready to take 100% responsibility for the kids during the game. Got a 9am tee time in the morning to shake off the hangover and reminisce on a white sox winner.

QUOTE(whitesoxfan101 @ Mar 30, 2006 -> 09:43 AM) Haha here comes the "oh there's no proof 2nd hand smoke is harmful" people apparently!! You guys *waves to mmmmbeer* and your lack of knowledge make me laugh every time. a smoker who smokes a pack per day for 10 years and then quits only has a SLIGHTLY higher chance of lung cancer/disease than a non-smoker. So you wanna explain to me how exactly a brush with second hand smoke on the concourse is a "risk to your health"?

QUOTE(SHAFTR @ Mar 30, 2006 -> 09:37 AM) I live in a town where smoking is now illegal in the bars. It is something that I'm really happy about. I can now go out and not have to air out my jacket for a day until I wear it again. case in point....stopping an annoyance.

If they really wanted to get serious about reducing lung disease by improving air quality they'd place a filtered biodome over the park. This is nothing more than a political move by the city. There's not a doctor in this nation who can prove that brief brush with secondhand smoke in an open place, ie. concourse, is anymore harmful to someone's health than the toxins already floating around in the air. The argument is absolutely ludicrous. So, in all actuality, it really does come down to stopping a simple annoyance, much like declaring that farting in the park is not allowed except on ramps 2,5,6,7.

It hurts like hell and you can hear your gums squishing around in your head. I've never gripped a dental chair so tightly in my life. Have fun.

I'm enrolled in the keep the change deal. It works out well for me, especially the first 3 months. I use my debit card for everything, very rarely do I have cash unless it's for the vending machines at work. It's not like the program is a big moneymaker, it's just a simple way to build a small bit of savings without even thinking about it....kind of like dropping the change from your pocket into a change jar, the money adds up. Each time I fill up the gas tank I make sure to go a penny over the dollar...a quick $2 savings deposit. You may call the program a gimic but I'm not aware of any other debit rewards programs. They don't make a dime off of anyone using a debit card so I feel fortunate to get anything from them. And as far as interest rates, that's why you have a second savings with an online bank, where you can find rates between 4.5-5%. You can link those accounts straight to your bank of america account to transfer money over.

QUOTE(RockRaines @ Mar 24, 2006 -> 10:17 AM) Get the weight off? Who the hell do you think you are talking about here? I guarantee you NO weight has to be shed or will be shed. When in his career has he been "in shape." Im sure it didnt effect his velocity then huh? He is building up his velocity and arm strength, its spring TRAINING for s*** sake. Of course he isnt throwing his hardest yet. I should rephrase. In about a month there's a good chance he'll have lost the 15lbs of winter weight he added. Yeah, I don't think he'd ever be skinny or anything.

QUOTE(Steff @ Mar 24, 2006 -> 10:04 AM) It's not at all amazing how some just s*** stir and can't mind their own business. unfortunately me minding my own business doesn't edit your personal attacks which ruined a good thread. back on subject, I don't see any reason why the team would lie about him hitting 94 on the gun. The guy threw a pitch 102 mph last season. Saying that he's throwing 94 isn't exactly a good thing, certainly negligibly better than saying he's hitting 92 on the gun. The sCRUBS, which somehow were used in comparison, say that a pitcher is fine despite the fact he hasn't thrown off a mound a month into spring training. Not exactly the same as "lying" about an extra 2MPH off a fastball. I'm expecting Jenks to struggle in april but I think he'll be fine by may. That gives him about a month to get the weight off and warm up his surgically repaired arm. Hopefully Cotts is up to the task of closing a few times until then.

QUOTE(Steff @ Mar 24, 2006 -> 08:47 AM) What's the point of discussing it? You have one opinion, others have another. And all you seem to want to do is argue like a f***ing 2 year old. STFU and move on. amazing the stuff "some" people get away with on this board.

But whatcha think.... 10 team 6x6 (OBP on offense, holds on pitching) C--J. Willingham 1b-- T. Helton 2B -- F. Lopez 3b -- D. Wright SS -- J. Reyes OF -- C. Crawford OF -- C. Crisp OF -- A. Dunn UTL -- J. Thome BN -- M. Mora BN -- B. Clark SP -- R. Harden SP -- J Contreras RP -- D. Turnbow RP -- E. Guardado P -- S. Shields P -- S. Linebrink P -- F. Cabrera BN -- F. Liriano BN -- K. Escobar BN -- C. Young Inaugural year of a money keeper league. Everyone available to keep except for Helton, Lopez, Wright, Reyes, and Crawford. Needless to say, I've pretty much got steals locked up.

QUOTE(The Ginger Kid @ Mar 23, 2006 -> 10:27 PM) Ditto. I think oz is sending a message this week that it's time to get serious - calling out Jenks, sending Iguchi to the 2 hole, leaving Thome in Tucson to get extra AB's. Time to cinch it up and get ready for the season. ozzie knows exactly what he's doing. although i often find myself questioning some of his in-game management moves, he's a master of motivation.

QUOTE(SoxFan1 @ Mar 21, 2006 -> 10:24 PM) Yeah, I have heard of Jade Dragon. There is one in Cal City (like 10 minutes away) called Ink n' Um or something like that. I never checked it out but I will not discount it until I get to see some work from the artists and then check out the price range. How much do you think something like this: would cost? And also, is the pain that bad??? EDIT: Now that I see Jade Dragon's website, I am not digging their stuff too much. I really liek Tattoo City's work. It all depends on the size and if you want color. I'd guess to get one the size of that picture would probably set you back 2 bills with tip to have someone reputable do the work. I couldn't agree more with rock when he says that you have to be extremely picky when picking out the person to do your tat. This is one thing that you should not hesitate to spend an extra $50 if it means having someone you trust tat you. The pain isn't that bad, although I've only got one on my left bicep. It really reminded me of having hot water hitting a sunburn. Just don't psych yourself out too badly beforehand and you'll be fine....it's not that bad of pain. I decided I wanted my tat 4 years before I actually got it. It's unique, meaningful, and very well done (pantera's tat guy in amarillo did it). The people who regret their tats are the dumbasses who get cartoon characters, the trendy s*** (think tribal bands), and tats involving a girlfriend/boyfriend who they later break up with. Looks as if you're looking for something associated with your family and heritage, certainly not something you're going to regret, imo.

QUOTE(SSH2005 @ Mar 21, 2006 -> 06:39 PM) Vizcaino and Marte were pretty much our 10th and 11th relievers last season. Vizcaino pitched 70 innings. Marte pitched 45.1 innings. That's an unfair comparison being there were guys shuffled in and out of the real last bp spots (Walker, Sanders, Shingo, Adkins (49ip/4losses)). Marte is also different being Oz put him in situations for him to regain his confidence. Damaso failed miserably. I just don't see Ozzie doing the same with the new guy being he's NEVER showed any reason to have much confidence in him in a critical situation. Bottom line is, regardless of how ya twist it, thornton will not get many opportunities to blow games. Think of how little of Shingo we saw after he lost the closer's role. That's thornton in a nutshell until/if he gets on track.

QUOTE(Gene Honda Civic @ Mar 21, 2006 -> 06:32 PM) So when a pitcher does well it's because of Cooper, and when a pitcher does poorly it's because he didn't listen and was injured. How long will Thornton take to straighten out? How many game will he cost us in the process? As the 10th or 11th reliever, mopup guy, probably not many.

I don't think there's any mental issues with Thornton. One of the articles yesterday made note of how he would come out of a game and "feel" like he pitched well but yet he would have walked several batters or gave up some damage. This tells me that he's got the confidence, he just lacks the mechanics. He's throwing 96mph heat for balls yet feels that he's pitching the ball the way he's supposed to. That's mechanics and that can be fixed. If you put a bowl of candy in front of a 3 yr old they're going to eat the whole bowl without thinking twice, then wonder why in the hell they got a stomach ache. Whereas if the 3 yr old is told that you can't eat that bowl of candy and get away with it, he'll be good to go....changing mechanics, changing instinct and habit. Absolutely miserable analogy, but hopefully i got my point across.

Contreras's big problem was his control, with walk #'s similar to Thornton. We saw what happened there.

The only thing that concerns me is Brandon's routine. I remember he was up in the booth last spring with Steves Phillips and Stone discussing his pitching style etc. One of the things that he kept repeating was how important his routine was to him. He depended on that 5 day break between starts to prepare himself mentally and, from the sounds of it, his routine was rather strict. Now, this season, he's being asked to drop that routine and completely change his mental approach to pitching. I've got to imagine that this is no easy task for anyone, especially for a 22 year old who claims his routine is a large part of his success. I think Brandon will be fine if he doesn't get bombed too often early in the season. If he can make it through APR with his confidence in tact, he'll be effective in the relief role. If he gets killed he's going to hold quite a bit of resentment towards his new role. I hope that that doesn't happen, we need him.