LouisEly

Except for this guy: http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/bryanko01.html I know, you can't go directly from high school anymore. That's why I have no issue with the Harris pick last year - he was 19, so he still has upside if they can develop him. It will likely take a few years though. I'll argue that this guy is a star player who was picked at #17 out of college: http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/grangda01.html Notice that it took him three years to develop. So if you are going to get a star player outside of the top 10 you either have to take a raw young guy with upside (like Harris) or a college player who comes from a smaller school who has tools but may not have gotten the best coaching (like Sanders). Sanders and Udoh are not going to be 20/10 guys; but they are athletic big men who didn't get great coaching in college that with a few years of professional coaching may develop into a Marcus Camby type. I'll take that from the #15 overall pick, and I'll take that in trade for a broken down Andrew Bogut. This guy was also a young raw big man drafted at #17 who took five years to develop into a star player: http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/o/onealje01.html And here's another guy drafted at #15 from a small school who turned into a star when he got professional coaching, but it also took 4/5 years: http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/n/nashst01.html Granted, three of my examples are from the same draft, likely the greatest draft in NBA history and they all may have gone higher if they had been in a much less talented draft. But they all took at least three years before they became a star.

Speaking of Stetter, in his last 10 appearances (covering all of 8 innings) he has given up 3 hits, walked two, and struck out 9 with a 0.00 ERA. Looks like he may have his LOOGY mojo back.

Not really. Gallardo and Marcum would combine to be at least an average #1/#2 combo, Wolf would be a below average #3 (an average #3 if he could return close to last year's form), and Fiers and Estrada are above-average #4/#5 starters. If you want to accept Fiers small sample so far as an average, I'd argue that Fiers is an average #3, Wolf an average #4, and Estrada an above-average #5. I think your point is that with the Brewers offense so far that wouldn't hold up, but if the Brewers offense returns to what they should be doing that staff would not be painful at all.

No, he didn't: http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/gl.cgi?id=hartco01&t=b&year=2006 Mench got more starts for about two weeks, then Hart started almost every game from August 12th on. After the trade Hart got 46 starts and Mench 31. Then take a look at 2007 and tell me who the starter was, Hart or Mench?

Except that Mench didn't start.

And went back to the AL so they could have had a DH! Because... "The fact is that the Brewers had Cruz and gave up on him without ever giving him much of a chance." Who was he going to start ahead of, Ryan Braun or Corey Hart? Going back to the title of the thread, I'll lobby that the biggest mistake Melvin made was letting R.A. Dickey go for nothing. They wouldn't have had to trade for one of Marcum or Greinke.

What position players would get promoted out of WI? Rogers has a good OBP, but no one is tearing up that league. Their pitching is what is carrying them.

After a rough start, over his last 10 appearances covering 12.1 innings w00ten has given up 6 hits and struck out 12 (he has also walked 5, but only one in his last five innings).

"I will simply say that in the end pretty much everything with a young athlete's attitude and performance comes down to the parents and there's been a significant shift in the way we raise our children." Amen, but that is a discussion for a different board.

See: Greinke, Zack

Oh, I agree. The Brewers haven't spent many early picks on athletic, up-the-middle types and I wish they did more of it. Like Brent Brewer? Being an athlete is nice, but the bottom line is that you have to be able to hit the ball.

It was the latter, deceptive delivery. He hides the ball very well, and when someone does that a 90 mph fastball seems like 95-96 (or more) because it takes the hitter longer to pick up the ball. On top of that, he has a good changeup, so if the hitter is looking change it makes a well-hid fastball seem even faster. In his first AB against Kemp, he "blew away" Kemp with a 90mph fastball for a swinging K; whether it was the delivery or looking for the change, Kemp was way behind on the pitch. The problem is that when/if a hitter does guess right he will hit the ball hard and far, but I will take it for now. There is such thing as a "AAAA" guy, but there is also a reason Fiers was in the majors a little over two years after being drafted.

Wondering if I could get some advice here. I'm starting from scratch in the A/V department (TV, audio) as I have gotten rid of my old components over my last two moves. Pretty much know what direction I'm going with the TV, but audio seems to have changed a lot in the last decade and I don't know where to start. To give you an idea of the setup, the TV will be mounted over the fireplace in the living room and the condo has an open living room/dining room/kitchen concept on that floor. The equipment (cable box, receiver, etc.) will be off to the side of the fireplace. The living room isn't wide (about 10' from couch to TV/fireplace - it's a long & skinny floor plan), and there is no shelf above the fireplace to put a soundbar on (I guess I could put one in if need be). There are circular speakers in the ceiling above where the couch would be, and the previous owners appear to have also wired rear speakers through the ceiling as well. Based on my research, it seems like the best bet for audio is to run everything through a receiver. In looking at receivers, it seems like there are a lot of options and a wide price range; some of the higher-end ones seem to have a lot of features but I don't understand many of them and am not sure if I need them. As for speakers, it seems like the old speaker/home theater system is dying as I don't see many home theater systems on the market. Is the soundbar the way everyone is going now? Do those things attach to the bottom of the TVs? Pardon my ignorance here. Basically looking for receiver and speaker/home theater recommendations. Here is what is important to me and what is not: Not important/don't care - 3D, Blue Ray, Netflix, etc. (not a movie person), internet through the TV Important - wireless speakers (the terrace is off the kitchen on the same floor so being able to bring the speakers outside would be nice), HD Radio (hard to find receivers with this capability, at least on the lower end of the price spectrum); satellite radio-ready receiver Would be nice - some type of video interface telling you title/artist on the TV screen; connect to speakers in another room/floor As for budget, I don't need to spend a ton of money here ($2000 for a receiver - really??), but if something is really worth it I will spend a little more. Thanks in advance for your help!

"I would believe that MU could improve their financial standing by establishing a relationship with the BC after a new arena is built. Today, the BC operates solely to support the Bucks, squeezing every source for the franchise. If the Bucks has a new arena and MU wanted to be the lead tenant in the "old" building, they likely would have more revenue rights. It wouldn't be as sexy as playing in the new NBA arena, but it's still a nice place that MU could be the "lead dog."" I wonder how much this impacts Marquette's recruiting. They don't have the name recognition that a Duke, UNC, Kansas, or Kentucky has. They aren't a big school like Ohio State, Wisconsin, UCLA, or Michigan State. Yes, Marquette won the national championship in the 70's... but with the explosion of ESPN and the like, kids want to go to Duke/UNC/Kansas/etc. because they will be on TV more or because their coaches are on TV more. If Marquette didn't have an NBA arena to sell, would Dwayne Wade have come to Marquette? Would Marquette be Marquette, or would it be more like Duquesne than Duke?

Pitchleague, right now I feel and very likely look like the Aflac duck from the Yogi Berra barbershop commercial. Everyone has their own opinions, but I vividly recall their music being so different from anything I had ever heard. From hearing Apple 106 playing "Fight For Your Right" on my boombox for the first time, to putting in the License to Ill cassette and hearing "Rhymin' and Stealin'" right from the get-go, I was hooked.

Find one male in his late 30's to early 40's who doesn't know the lyrics to every song on "License to Ill" or remember where he was the first time he heard "Fight For Your Right". RIP Adam.

I'll say it... what if DM had not signed Ramirez, let Green take over at 3B, and "overpaid" for Hairston and another backup IF?

"I'm not sure what your definition of "going up the river" is, but I'm pretty sure Bonds never tested positive for steroids under MLB's new drug testing policy, and Ryan Braun has." My understanding is that Braun's test showed an abnormally high level of testosterone, and that he did not test positive for steroids.

Enough of LA and NYC, back to a reasonable cost of living! My next career move is bringing me back to Madtown at the end of the month, and I could use your recommendations on a few things: 1) TV/internet/phone - price is of no concern here as my employer reimburses for internet/phone. Who has the best & most reliable product? Are there any known issues or channels that a particular provider does not have? Ability to log into DVR via internet while traveling, and/or compatability with Slingbox or similar product, is a plus. Can't have a satellite dish (condo rules). 2) Painter - need to get it done quickly so I can get carpet in and because I will be traveling a lot and not around to facilitate; also would like to get it done before getting furniture. Price is secondary to speed of service and quality. Already know color schemes. 3) Carpet - see "Paint"; quickness and quality. 4) Electrician - want to install recessed lighting with dimmer switches in living/dining room and master bedroom. (Need separate dimmer switch/wire in bedroom so ceiling fan doesn't make buzzing noise.) Not as urgent as paint/carpet. Price/quality. 5) Dry cleaners (downtown area) - anybody but Klinke, they ruined enough of my shirts back in the day. Must offer hand press, or at the least, no machine pressing of collars (like Klinke does). Or if you know someone willing to iron shirts on the side for cash. No time for DIY here, will be traveling too much. Thanks in advance for your recommendations, and feel free to suggest anything I may have left out.

Strong second on Tom James. Their suits are of very high quality (but not flashy) and will not fall apart on you. I have some Tom James suits that are 10 years old and they show no signs of wear at all. They have a line of suit separates that will bring the price down, but as they say, it is better to have one or two high quality suits than five mediocre ones. If you get a basic navy or charcoal/black and switch up the shirts/ties no one will notice you are wearing the same suit every day. If TJ is out of your price range, what is your body type? If you are relatively skinny you can get nice suits for reasonable prices from Banana Republic and the Calvin Klein outlet stores, but they are on the slim-fit side. Otherwise try Burlington Coat Factory or Marshalls/Ross; you can get name brand suits there for good prices if you are lucky to find your size.

The reason they were in that situation at that time was because their strength of schedule was so front-loaded. Most of their games against the weaker teams in the league were in the last two months of the season.

Lance Lynn doesn't seem to be hindered too much by spending last year in the bullpen. Didn't seem to hurt CJ Wilson's career either.

If you are near Times Square you must go to Virgil's Bar-B-Que. Best. Wings. Ever. If you've never had smoked barbecue wings... you'll never go back to Buffalo-style. Tip: order the wings at the bar as they are cheaper there than at a table. They have some happy hour beer specials for the cost-conscious. I believe $20 could get you a big order of wings and two beers during Happy Hour at the bar. If you are looking for cheap drink options, try the Zagat guide. You can filter by neighborhood (Times Square) and it will tell you average food/drink prices.

And a pathetic officiating display in the fourth quarter. Picked some awful convenient times to swallow their whistles...

It's not really that meat is unhealthy, it's that a vegetarian-friendly diet is more healthful because vegetarians consume less animal fat and cholesterol, and more fiber and antioxidants. Also eating more plant-based foods and less saturated fats helps keep your weight down, reduce heart disease, and increase calcium intake. This is not necessarily true, certainly not in all cases. Cholesterol has been proven to be much more correlated to genetics than diet. I eat a lot of meat - mostly lean, fresh meat but I have definitely had my share of brats and burgers - and at the age of 38 when I got my lab results back from my physical last fall my physician wrote on them that they are "amazingly good". Every lab result was exactly within the desired range. My total cholesterol was 130 - total - with HDLs of 42 and LDLs of 88. It's genetics. Some people absorb cholesterol in foods, but my body obliterates it. Granted, I also eat a ton of fresh fruits and veggies and exercise a lot, but I consume a lot of protein and avoid processed foods. Call it a cross between Atkins and Paleo, I generally stick to the perimeter of the grocery store (where the meat and produce departments are) and eat very little food from the aisles (except pickles and rice). Similar to what thebruce says, a combination of lean, fresh meat and fresh fruits & veggies, and I get a lot of fiber and antioxidants from the fruits & veggies. I'll reference the book I mentioned a while back in this thread - Live Right 4 Your Type. It suggests that people with Type O blood, like myself, do better on an Atkins type diet because we tend to have highly acidic stomachs (thus can easily process meat) and be sensitive to sugar (thus should avoid simple carbs). It says that red meat is "beneficial" for people with Type O blood. The book says that other blood types (can't remember which ones) that tend to have low acidic levels in their stomachs do well on a vegetarian diet because they don't have the acids to process meats. So I'd be willing to bet that if you do well on a vegetarian diet you do not have Type O blood.