clyons

I think my moderate-to-high excitement stems in part because the team's Cuban connection dates back to Minnie, and two other Cubans were integral to our most recent successful seasons. As they say, past history is not indicative of future performance, but lately we have gone 2 for 2 with Contreras and Ramirez, which is a lot better than other team's track records with Cubans, or foreign nationals in general. We even scored (for the most part, and for a limited period) with Iguchi and Shingo, though we seem to have gotten lucky by missing out on Fukudome. Honestly, I think very few of us (for obvious reasons) are qualified to intelligently opine on how Cuban ball ranks relative to our minor league system. Not having been exposed to it in depth, all most of us can do is guess.

Just got home and saw this. Very good news on a cold November night.

IIRC, Don Sutton's worthiness was also roundly debated, because (like Moose), he never won a Cy Young, won 20 games just once, and was not a truly "dominant" pitcher of his era. On the other hand, Sutton had 300 wins, 3000 Ks, and a ring. That combination virtually guarantees induction, and did for Don Sutton. Mussina has none of those. Mussina wouldn't get my vote, but I'm kind of a hard ass when it comes to the HOF. My prediction: his Yankee affiliation ultimately carries him to Cooperstown.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Nov 20, 2008 -> 02:19 PM) Well, it has been 2 years. The various elements included Abu Fayed orchestrating a multi-week terror campaign against the U.S., Wayne Palmer starting as the president, Valencia, California being vaporized by a nuke, and ends with James Cromwell discovering warp drive playing Jack Bauer's father and trying to run off to China with his grandson. Ah yes, thanks. How could I have forgotten the enthralling, multi-generational Bauer family feud?

I swear I can't even remember the plot line from the last season, and I know I watched every single episode (like always). What was it even about? The Chinese? The Plague?

QUOTE (LosMediasBlancas @ Nov 20, 2008 -> 03:11 AM) Take it easy. I always thought the Eagles were kind of lame, myself.

QUOTE (LosMediasBlancas @ Nov 18, 2008 -> 01:18 PM) ...and why the hell are they called the Mats? Its an abbreviated "joke": The Replacements = "The Placemats" = "The Mats"

QUOTE (Texsox @ Nov 18, 2008 -> 08:58 AM) I know we've only known each other 4 weeks and 3 days, but to me it seems like 9 weeks and 5 days. I don't need anything for Christmas. Except an ashtray. And a paddle game. And a lamp. That's all I need.

QUOTE (YASNY @ Nov 16, 2008 -> 10:49 AM) That's just it. I don't know who does the version that is always played when a big sports event is occuring in Chicago. I ran across a version by John Belushi that was pretty damn good, but I don't think it's "the" one. Also versions by Clapton and Foghat. I'm just trying to pin down the definitive version. I believe its the Buddy Guy version that's been played after wins at the Cell.

QUOTE (fathom @ Nov 13, 2008 -> 02:39 PM) Great, so we traded 3 of our top prospects for one year of terrible baseball and nothing in terms of prospects. This also means Konerko is going nowhere. Yeah, this flat out sucks. It was bad enough we paid so highly for Swisher. Now we've ended up trading Sweeney, Gio and DeLosSantos for this guy? Looks like Kenny screwed the pooch on Swisher both coming and going.

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Nov 12, 2008 -> 02:14 PM) The cubs won 97, lost Soriano and Zambrano during significant parts of the season. Had to deal with a stuggling RF, a CF platoon, a rookie catcher, and a highly touted pitcher (Rich Hill) impoloding. So, yeah. The Cubs had their own problems too. Rollins > Soriano, Phillies had similar outfield problems until Werth got going, and I'll see your Rich Hill and raise you Brett Myers, who after starting for them Opening Day, also imploded and got sent down to the minors. Plus, maybe Charlie and his crew actually getting something out of a highly touted pitcher (Cole Hamels) ought to count for something in his favor. I still say Charlie got jobbed, but I'm obviously in the minority, especially in votes that count. Oh, well, that's part of what makes the game great, I guess.

Yeah, thanks, I KNOW its based on the regular season, but Manuel is still far more deserving, imo. His team won 92 games, wasn't an overwhelming pre-season favorite, and overcame injuries (it lost the reigning MVP for over a month, and Utley, Gordon and Jenkins all got hurt) to win its division. Lou's team, coming off one division champion and having been installed as a runaway favorite after adding Fukodome, the NL ROY, and then Rich Harden, won only 5 more games than Charlie's. I guess that's all because of Lou. This award is probably the most subjective of all the post-season awards, but I don't see how it can be said that Lou managed better than Charlie. If the award is going to go to the manager whose team wins the most regular season games, why even have a vote?

Over Charlie Manuel? Not sure I understand this vote.

Wonderful news! Congratulations.

Sorry, Jay and/or Pappy, I don't miss you at all.

Have a great one!

Snake Eyes Question: What's the point of having "code names" if they get published in the paper?

Just saw this in the ST. Very intriguing. I wonder if a kid that young can be MLB ready, but he appears to have solid experience, and similar concerns about Alexei proved missplaced. Also, its interesting to note that despite all of the bad blood between the Sox front office and Scott Boras, they appear to have solid relationships with certain other top agents, particularly Torres and Arn Tellem. Hopefully, Torres can steer this kid to the Sox.

QUOTE (Alpha Dog @ Nov 7, 2008 -> 11:29 AM) I think all the focus here on students, which was most of that part listed, is being short-sighted. There was also these gems there. 1) Obama will call on citizens of all ages to serve America, 2) Obama will encourage retiring Americans to serve by improving programs available for individuals over age 55 So, even after you get out of school, it seems like he wants free labor for life. Anybody here in their 30's or 40's with 2 or 3 kids and a job have 50 - 100 extra hours to spare? JFK also "called on" all citizens to serve their country, there just weren't any internets for people to b**** on back then.

QUOTE (ChiSox_Sonix @ Nov 7, 2008 -> 11:26 AM) I'm not sure what constitution test you are referring to. I've done all my schooling and lived all my life in Germany and various parts of New York state "American patriotism and the principles of representative government, as enunciated in the American Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States of America and the Constitution of the State of Illinois, and the proper use and display of the American flag, shall be taught in all public schools and other educational institutions supported or maintained in whole or in part by public funds. No student shall receive a certificate of graduation without passing a satisfactory examination upon such subjects. Instruction shall be given in all such schools and institutions in the method of voting at elections by means of the Australian Ballot system and the method of the counting of votes for candidates." 105 ILCS 5/27-3 I've lived in Illinois all my life, and this has been state law for as long as I can remember.

QUOTE (ChiSox_Sonix @ Nov 7, 2008 -> 10:59 AM) The requirements set forth by the college to graduate are the right of that college as the private institution they are. They set the standards to which they want to graduate their students. The government stepping in and mandating that a college student perfrom 'x' amount of comm service hours per year is ridiculous. Performing community service does nothing to demonstrate any sort of educational aptitude that graduating represents. Taking multiple types of courses allows a person to be able to know that Africa is not a country, how to do basic math, how to keep one's body in decent health etc...Mandating community service (which would no doubt have to be performed outside of school hours) just adds to stress and time contraints that many high school students have (espeically those involved in clubs, sports, jobs etc...). I dont think it is right at all. And my last statement was a crack at your driver's ed statement. I see nothing wrong with forcing people to take a driving course before they can operate a machine that is very easily capable of killing/injuring one's self as well as others. No comparison. (And driver's ed isnt a graduation requirement either) Gotcha. Drivers ed was probably a reach. But what about the government already mandating that every Illinois student pass a Constitution test? One can argue that this requirement is imposed for social reasons as well as educational ones, as it helps ensure basic fundamentals of "good citizenship." I see this community service thing kind of the same way, and kids might actually help contribute something positive while learning things in a real world setting they might not otherwise experience; not unlike an internship. Nobody I know has a big problem with the government mandating a Constitution requirement. Is that just because its easier satisfied than service?

QUOTE (ChiSox_Sonix @ Nov 7, 2008 -> 10:05 AM) GMAB. That is nowhere near the same thing. By that logic, I am forced by the evil government to stop at stop signs and not punch random people in the face if I want to stay out of jail. Damn. Where do you want that break? Since we're talking about middle school/high school/collegiate requirements (did you even read the article before posting?), its EXACTLY the same thing. Geometry, Algebra, Spanish and drivers ed were a waste of my time, and I wouldn't have bothered with any if not "forced" to take them. BFD. What does being forced to stop at stop signs and refraining from criminal assault have to do with the subject of mandatory graduation requirements? Double down on your "Damn".

When I was in High School, I was forced by the despots at my school to take algebra, geometry, and two years of a foreign language in order to graduate, and I was forced by the totalitarian state to take drivers' ed in order to get my license. Lord knows I've never been the same.

I didn't see this posted yet. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?p...081106/whitesox This guy doesn't seem to realize Cabrera is a free agent, or that we'll be changing at least half of our infield and a third of our outfield, now that KW has said Swisher won't play CF. More solid reporting from Bristol.

QUOTE (longshot7 @ Nov 6, 2008 -> 11:43 AM) I can't wait til this hits LA. Awesome? My buddy and I sure thought so, but we'd been wanting to see them live forever. You can tell they take their music seriously, but not themselves. Lame as it may sound, I keep coming back to "fun" as the most operative word. Check this out for a small taste. http://acdctour2008-2009.blogspot.com/2008...reviews_30.html