Skram

So to recap, when Michelle talks about fried chicken it is about diversity and culture; when Dave Chapelle does it, it is hilarious; and when white golfers do it, it is racist and offensive. I think I got it.

I get the feeling the Yanks are going to be willing to pay heavily for Headley so they can find some way out of the coming A-Rod nightmare. What about signing Callaspo, isn't he a free agent now? Coming off a down year, and not too exciting, but I think he could probably match the production of Freese/Beckham for a lot less. The list of free agents at third is awfully thin.

I doubt they will re-sign him, and I am okay with that, but I really don't see the sense in trading him. So lets say hypothetically that we never had Howie. We got by with unexciting, but capable, players like Green and Beckham at 2nd base all year and of course the board was full of hate and discontent for our lack of offensive production at 2B... If you found out you could get a 4-5 WAR 2nd baseman on a 1 year contract for $9M would you take it?

I enjoyed it, thanks AJ. People here just like to hate, see every national broadcaster and talk radio guy.

Don't forget the Glo-bull Warming hidden fuel tax is about to hit all Californians, too. At any point do Democrats decide they they actually need some new businesses (or existing businesses to stay and grow) in CA so they can keep paying for the left wing utopia they are trying to create? Well, Joe Biden came here and told us that the new $15 minimum wage they are trying to foist on us will be a great economic benefit to the state, so I am sure that will work out.

This is good news. I should be able to completely skip Windows 8.

I didn't think I had a problem with Joe buck till I watched that video of Joe Buck Live posted earlier. The was really bad!

Everytime I take the family to Farmer Boy's, I wonder why we just didn't got to a sit down restaurant instead for the price. I think I get out of Chili's for less money than I spend at Farmer Boy's.

Howie batting fourth and Freese fifth doesn't make me feel warm and fuzzy about next year's offense.

Well, we seem to read a lot about his workout habits, I think that would contribute to him having a long career.

Putting in the vacation days now!

If you want to see a lot of love for Howie on the boards, trade him in the off season and do a platoon of Green and Beckham all year. Howie is solid, quit acting like baseball is easy. "He needs to learn how to hit a breaking ball" made me LOL. He is without a doubt an above average 2nd baseman.

Seems pretty understandable to me to miss this to spend time with the family.

I heard ESPN's business model described as charging the "65% of viewers who do not watch ESPN $6 a month to not watch ESPN."

Next thread idea: if you were trapped on a desert island and could only take 3 fast food joints with you, what would they be?

No, not a day trader at all, just an amateur investor who likes to follow this stuff. I have my retirement funds, some personal funds in mutual funds, and then some, shall we say "play money" in a brokerage account. For the most part, I am the guy who loves low cost mutual funds like the Vanguard 500 fund and rides out the waves. Until recently I have been adding more money on the dips. That has worked out quite well over the past couple years. And Cat, I agree this isn't 2008, that was a near meltdown. I don't usually, well, until now, never try to time markets either, I just see a market that is historically on the expensive side because of years of QE leaving no other viable investments. We are at the end of a bull run, and reality is starting to set in. There are really no factors to drive the market higher unless the Fed announces yet another QE program. But why would they do that, the economy is soft, but it isn't awful. If they did it they would basically be admitting their sole purpose is to prop up the stock market, and I am not sure how well that would wok out. I won't stay out too long, I will leg myself back in on the downswing. I do not like being out of the market. I think about the 2 corrections I have gone through, 2001 and 2008, both went on much longer and were more severe than was actually warranted. That is the nature of markets. I am continuing to make contributions, I just pulled my money back to money market and short term bond funds for now.

In California, Gloria Allred would already have her doing a tearful press conference explaining how millions of dollars are the only thing that can help her recover from the sexual harassment.

I worked for INO for a long time, so it took a while, but I have been back to loving their burgers again. 5 Guys does nothing for me, overpriced and greasy. I had a Habit open near me and I have to say I have been impressed. Good food and friendly service.

I was just watching CNBC a few days ago when billionaire activist investor Carl Icahn was trying to trump up his Apple stock. He has huge stakes in Netflix and Transocean (stock symbol: RIG). His Transocean stock is doing even worse than what happened to Netflix, check out the chart on that one. I think he is doing his best to help close the wealth gap in America with those stock selections.

Well, I am not a conservative investor. I just think there is a correction coming, and corrections are brutal. The psychology and dynamics of the market always lead to the market being oversold and creating a buying opportunities, which is exactly what happened in 2008 and I have enjoyed the 17% return since then. Historically, after any kind of government QE program ends, the stock market drops..alot, and not just in the US. I follow this stuff pretty closely so I am not afraid to try to get out early because I know I am willing to get back in even when the market looks brutal. I imagine myself getting back in too early, and not too late. I wouldn't advise this for everyone though, if it is your retirement money, and you have a long window, then I have no doubt the stock market will be higher 10+ years from now. I have no love for precious metals. They are a commodity, they are defensive, they do not produce anything and are based solely on supply and demand (and they have been brutal over the past year.) If you believe the collapse of the financial system is coming, then I doubt any investment will really pay off, even gold. The people who have gained truly gained wealth in this country did it believing in the power of our economy. I just want to try to sit out the correction this time around.

I don't think there is much to keep the market propped up with the Fed ending QE. Reality is starting to set in that this market has been held up by over a trillion dollars of easy money. Brace for some rough months ahead on your 401k's. Now with the price of oil dropping, earnings dropping on several companies, the dollar getting stronger, Europe and Asia looking pretty weak, there is just not much for the market to be optimistic on. My guess is there is probably a S&P 500 in the 1700's in our future. I rode the 2008 crash to the bottom, I don't feel like doing it again. I am not a bear, and I generally believe in riding the ups and downs of the market, but I don't see much upside here. It is an overpriced market with a lot of bad news on the horizon. I am taking my gains and going defensive for a while.

Wow, that video was scary. I have heard some of the horror stories before, but to see it all laid out like that, and to know the average person doesn't have the legal means to fight it, is pretty sobering.

The left loves free speech as long as you agree with them and never mention the words sin, evil or Bible.

Well, I am sure they know I feel this way, but I will say it publicly, Stradling and Splint are 2 of the most awesome human beings on the planet, Stradling being my best friend for what, almost 25 years now Scott? I love them like brothers. When I met Scott I was a fan of both the Dodgers and Angels (my father is a passionate Dodger fan) and Stradling helped me see the error of my ways. Great interview, I loved reading it, although I might have mentioned the tripod thread among the favorites threads all time, and I think the interviewer may have been a little generous in assessing his softball skills.

The Triple Crown?