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Second Season :: Round 2 :: Days 2 and 3 -- Future SS edition

Acmilan_tiny by The Wizard on in Game Threads

Meet our future shortstop:

Jose Silveiro, who joined the White Sox in the Instructional Leagues a mere two weeks ago, could be the team's shortstop of the future. It's a little difficult to rate Silveiro at this point, though, considering he just became of age to drive.

"He has soft hands, a strong arm and a nice approach," said Regier, who added that Silveiro played nine innings against the Angels during Instructional League action Thursday.

"There's still a lot of work to be done there, and we have to help him with things like the language barrier," Regier added. "But, baseball is baseball."

Wilder and the rest of the White Sox Latin America crew signed Silveiro out of the Dominican Republic. There's no basic timetable set for Silveiro's progression upwards, but the talented middle infielder could be a Major Leaguer before he turns 21.

"You hope a guy like this will be an impact player," said Regier of Silveiro. "When you get a player of his talent, at this age, you are hoping he comes fast."

*****
In other news,

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another good sign
from our minor league/scouting/player development. obvioualy he's real, real young and it's a merkin fluff piece - but at least we're signing players from the DR. this is what other teams do and what we really haven't done much recently.

by larry on Oct 12, 2007 12:18 PM CDT   0 recs

This goes back to what Larry said...
a few weeks ago.  Even if everything goes right for this kid, when could we honestly expect him to arrive at the big league level -- 2012, and that's if everything goes right?

I'm glad he's in the organization, don't get me wrong, but I fear the Sox are way late too the party.  Speaking about looking for 'market inefficiencies (sp?)', I'd love to see the Sox set up camp in a country where (a) baseball isn't as popular and (b) not a whole lot of other teams are there yet.  That, or pimp the hell out of Ozzie in Venezuela and get every 16 year old who can throw a baseball into a White Sox camp.

by CWSKeith on Oct 12, 2007 2:25 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

better late then never, though
and if you're looking for market inefficiency, the place to go now is west africa. set up academies in ghana, ivory coast, so on.

by larry on Oct 12, 2007 2:30 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Russia is more appropriate
They play basketball in W. Africa.  You should know that, larry.
2010 - the waiting is the hardest part.

by winningugly on Oct 12, 2007 3:05 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

the mets are already making inroads
http://www.myjoyonline.com/archives/sports/200703/2823.asp

inviting players to their spring training, minaya has been to ghana, so on. i've never heard of baseball in russia. i have heard of the league they have in ghana. time to get started - we're already behind one team.

by larry on Oct 12, 2007 3:15 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

here's what MLB is doing
this article lists players from four african countries who attended the european camp this year (first time any african nation other than south africa has attended).

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070808&content_id=2138011&vkey=news_mlb&fext=. jsp&c_id=mlb

i know the mariners have a scout in europe. the mets are making contacts in africa. this is how you develop a system. it's all about who you know (and employ) and who they know.

by larry on Oct 12, 2007 3:19 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

And who you blow
if business is done similarly as in the States, right?
2010 - the waiting is the hardest part.

by winningugly on Oct 12, 2007 3:22 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

and here's what other teams are doing
13 MLBI European Baseball Academy graduates have signed professional contracts with MLB organizations 
Player Position Academy Year(s) Country Club 

Alex Liddi Third Base 2005 Italy Seattle Mariners 

Alessandro Maestri Pitcher 2005 Italy Chicago Cubs 

Kalian Sams Outfield 2005 Netherlands Seattle Mariners 

Jacob Toufar Pitcher 2005 Czech Republic Minnesota Twins 

Jakub Hajtmar Pitcher 2005, '06 Czech Republic Minnesota Twins 

Rodney Gessman Pitcher 2005, '06 Germany Minnesota Twins 

Tom Stuifbergen Pitcher 2005, '06 Netherlands Minnesota Twins 

Petr Cech Catcher 2006 Czech Republic Cincinnati Reds 

Mauro Schiavoni Catcher 2005, '06 Italy Cincinnati Reds 

Ramon Romeijn Pitcher 2006 Netherlands Seattle Mariners 

Joris Bert Outfield 2005, '06 France Los Angeles Dodgers 

Donald Lutz Outfield 2006, '07 Germany Cincinnati Reds 

Frederic Hanvi Catcher 2006, '07 France Minnesota Twins

notice how a few teams have made multiple signings. even if these guys don't work out, they're good bets to become contacts, you have the contacts the scout made with the player's team, and so on.

by larry on Oct 12, 2007 3:25 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

i've seen
maestri pitch. was at peoria for the cubs. he looked pretty legit to me - had some very nice stuff - and his numbers from this year back it up. major league talent? he's definitely got a shot at being a decent reliever.

i have a friend who follows the twins gulf coast league where gessman and stuifberg pitched. said they looked pretty good, too - definitely have a future in the minors at the upper levels.

don't have any other information on the others - i'm sure they're hit and miss just like most signings are - but these teams are seeing a benefit.

by larry on Oct 12, 2007 3:35 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

I was half-joking about Africa
Man, emerging markets are the play in any asset class, aren't they?  And some are more emerging than others.

They'll play cheaper than the Latins, I bet.

(Russia is at least letting the kids play:

http://espn.go.com/moresports/llws01/s/2001/0821/1242157.html )

2010 - the waiting is the hardest part.

by winningugly on Oct 12, 2007 3:22 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

I Soviet Russia
Baseball scouts you
AIM: SouthSideCheat

by The Cheat on Oct 12, 2007 3:51 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Da
2010 - the waiting is the hardest part.

by winningugly on Oct 12, 2007 3:56 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

You know that the team is getting desperate...
when they're touting 16-year-olds. I don't care how high a ceiling this kid has, he's not even done growing yet. Also, assuming he's really 16 (he is from the Dominican Republic, after all), that means that kids half my age are now in professional ball. I feel old. Also, this - Infielder Josh Fields did not attend Instructional League, after accumulating more than 650 plate appearances between 2007 stints with Triple-A Charlotte and the White Sox. The adjusted plan to aid Fields' development in left field will be to have him work privately with first-base and outfield coach Harold Baines and Daryl Boston, the team's Minor League outfield instructor. ... "Josh did not come, but it wasn't a negative. We just pushed some of the work back into a different time frame." Has me a bit confused. Does this mean he refused to go, or that they decided not to send him? I was hoping against hope that they were giving up on the outfield experiment with Fields. Apparently not.

by The Jerry Royster Experience on Oct 12, 2007 12:24 PM CDT   0 recs

well
i think this is the sort of stuff that constitues news in this era of 365 days a year coverage of mlb. just wait until they get that mlb only channel. merkin is really only doing his job of finding stuff to write about during what is probably one of the deadest times of the year for a baseball club not in the playoffs. at any rate, considering this is the sort of stuff we've talked about (and has been a topic elsewhere), i'm kind of surprised at your reaction to it being reported. it almost seems like merkin/sox are responding to it.

by larry on Oct 12, 2007 12:33 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

I'm encouraged...
that they're signing more Latin American ballplayers, I just think it's a bit depressing that the only "shortstop of the future" in the system is a 16-year-old with no professional experience.

by The Jerry Royster Experience on Oct 12, 2007 12:38 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

depressing?
aren't we over this by now? we haven't had a SS of the future for a couple years now. time to move on. jose for president.

by larry on Oct 12, 2007 12:40 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Mark Gonzales' Instructional League observations
mg:
For the Sox, 19-year-old left-hander Justin Edwards doesn't stand anywhere close to his listed 6-foot height, but Edwards threw his overhand curve for strikes consistently.

Shortstop Robert Valido has issues with his hitting, but he displayed why Baseball America ranked him as the top defensive infielder for third consecutive seasons by making two off-balance plays with ease.

by The Wizard on Oct 12, 2007 12:26 PM CDT   0 recs

Burrell + $ for Crede?
It would help the offense, and Burrell would get some nice stats going into free agency.  Not sure Gillick would do that deal given Crede's back issues.

by asinwreck on Oct 12, 2007 12:59 PM CDT   0 recs

Where are you getting that?
I haven't heard that one before.

It would be an absolute steal for the Sox, given Crede's contract status.

by The Jerry Royster Experience on Oct 12, 2007 1:26 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

here
mlbtr:
Finally, Pat Burrell has surfaced as a solid trading chip.  He's left with a reasonable one-year, $14MM commitment, albeit with a full-no trade clause that would require more compensation.  How about Burrell to the White Sox for Crede?  Phils kick in a couple mil, the White Sox get much-needed OBP for '08 plus draft picks when Burrell leaves.

by The Wizard on Oct 12, 2007 1:29 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

who comes up with this stuff?
how 'bout this one i heard: crede, jerry owens, jack egbert, cash considerations, a PTBNL, and a case of old style for johan santana and nick punto.

see, it makes sense. they need a 3B, they need a CF, and they need a starter to replace santana. i don't see the old style for punto as being fair but santana is a pretty good pitcher.

by larry on Oct 12, 2007 1:32 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

I think we're giving up too much
who's this santana guy anyway? it isn't like he ever beat the sox!

:p

by The Wizard on Oct 12, 2007 1:37 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

That's
probably about right....buuut...I could see that as viable, say, two weeks into March if Crede looks right....

by dantesox on Oct 12, 2007 1:39 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Heh.
I know I come across as not liking Sox players, but I keep hearing all these ridiculous rumors.  Your trade rumor probably makes as much sense as Burrell-for-Crede.

If Williams gets anything more than an A-ball reliever in a trade for Joe Crede, I'd be pleasantly surprised.

by The Jerry Royster Experience on Oct 12, 2007 1:40 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

quick update
the PTBNL the twins apparently want is ray liotta. they said they saw him hit in field of dreams and were impressed - though they're wondering if he could maybe be converted to a pitcher.

by larry on Oct 12, 2007 1:43 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Legend
6 years and 84 mildo?

You know Kenny won't go that long for that much.

But I imagine the Cubs have probably already made an offer...for even more...bwaaaa ha haaaaa!

"I give Ozzie an 'A'... This team has never packed it in and I give Ozzie the credit." - Jerry Reinsdorf

by tailgater on Oct 12, 2007 1:16 PM CDT   0 recs

Rowand going headfirst into the ivy...
ouch

Methinks he'd come out of that with a little more than a broken nose.

by Hazymania on Oct 12, 2007 2:28 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Mildo?
Is that like Johhny Hildo (a Jason Priestly SNL character)?

http://snltranscripts.jt.org/91/91mhildo.phtml

2010 - the waiting is the hardest part.

by winningugly on Oct 12, 2007 3:25 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

buddy bell tries to access the situation
"There's so much to do with the Minor League side, with the coaches and players, so much more to it than being a manager," said Bell

translation: what did I get myself in?

by The Wizard on Oct 12, 2007 1:41 PM CDT   0 recs

it's encouraging, at least.
the last year or so has been brutal wrt front office decisions, minus danks and gio, obvs.
Peperony and chease

by colintj on Oct 12, 2007 2:58 PM CDT   0 recs

No press release yet, but...
ESPN seems to think that the Mitchell investigation results will be huge

The report will reportedly "include many names; names which have so far not been disclosed publicly; and the names of well-known players."

Either way, it should be fun.

by The Jerry Royster Experience on Oct 12, 2007 5:34 PM CDT   0 recs

when was the last time
we saw the two best pitchers in a league match up in the playoffs? this is a great match-up; i hope it lives up to expectations.

by larry on Oct 12, 2007 7:03 PM CDT   0 recs

Santana?
Is he an Indian now?

;)

2010 - the waiting is the hardest part.

by winningugly on Oct 12, 2007 7:06 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

It boggles the mind
but I think these two put up better numbers than Santamaria this year.
GO SOX!

by rhythm on Oct 12, 2007 7:11 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

both were better than santana
this year. i'd still take johan for the long haul - but you really can't go wrong with any of them. though things are going wrong for cc tonight.

by larry on Oct 12, 2007 7:11 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Yup.
Just like last game.  Toast.
2010 - the waiting is the hardest part.

by winningugly on Oct 12, 2007 7:12 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Where are you baseball fans?
Injuns/Bosox?  CC Rider perhaps struggling like last game.

Who do you root for?  Neurotic, arrogant Bosox fans or a-hole, thirsty for WS victory, Central Division reps Injuns.  (I am not biased.)

2010 - the waiting is the hardest part.

by winningugly on Oct 12, 2007 7:05 PM CDT   0 recs

Hmm...
I would add a-hole to the neurotic and arrogant descriptors of Bosox fans.

I go with Cleveland, though I feel dirty saying that, cause Bosox fans are just that annoying and, like cockroaches, they are everywhere.

GO SOX!

by rhythm on Oct 12, 2007 7:10 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

bosox by default
there is absolutely no way I'd root for the indians

by The Wizard on Oct 12, 2007 7:11 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Manny es en fuego
I'd walk him.
2010 - the waiting is the hardest part.

by winningugly on Oct 12, 2007 7:08 PM CDT   0 recs

Lucky call
0-2 and then 4 straight balls -ain't CC's night.

PS  May I frame the "good call"?  I believe this is my once-every-month-good-call-corroboration-by-larry event.

I knew today was a good day.  I have to shut this posting down now  and give my wife a shot tonight, then play the Lotto.

;)  

2010 - the waiting is the hardest part.

by winningugly on Oct 12, 2007 7:15 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

PS
Arguably the BEST call this whole season is a post by none other than you re: your prediction that you "expected a breakout year", or something to that effect, from Beckett this year.  You nailed that one early and laserlike.  

Very impressive.  And, better yet, he's stepped it up in the postseason.   More impressive.

2010 - the waiting is the hardest part.

by winningugly on Oct 12, 2007 7:18 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

i didn't just expect
i guaranteed it. of course, i've also said repeatedly the indians would win the world series. yes, the playoffs are far more of a crapshoot but, as the wolf said, let's not start sucking each others dicks yet.
On Owens: "Jerry needs perfecting." - Ann Coulter

by larry on Oct 12, 2007 8:15 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

You have a difficult time
accepting and giving props, don't you?  Remind me to think twice the next time.  I don't want to go hom(o) with you, Pulp Friction, just thought it was a good call.

Fer Chrissakes, lar.

2010 - the waiting is the hardest part.

by winningugly on Oct 12, 2007 8:23 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

i already accepted my props last time
beckett pitched. i don't rest on my laurels, unlike the white sox.
On Owens: "Jerry needs perfecting." - Ann Coulter

by larry on Oct 12, 2007 8:26 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Na na na na, na na na na,
hey hey, Auf wierersehn/adios/ciao/arrivederci.
2010 - the waiting is the hardest part.

by winningugly on Oct 12, 2007 8:02 PM CDT   0 recs

If you strike out
chances are you won't get on base...
Joe Morgan talking baseball at the start of the game tonight. Can't argue with that kind of knowledge about the game.

by Brush Back on Oct 12, 2007 8:44 PM CDT   0 recs

I heard it on the way home
and my ears started to bleed.
Hot dogs, armour hot dogs.

by omnipotent grab on Oct 12, 2007 8:58 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Moneyball changed my opinion of Morgan...
Billy Beane, et. al describe in detail how his analysis is mostly bullshit..  I do love listening to John Miller, tho...  

by RoyEgan on Oct 12, 2007 11:23 PM CDT   0 recs

Listening to the game last night on the drive home
and Joe Morgan actually seemed less insane than John Miller. I don't recall exactly what was said, but between the 5th and 8th inning, John Miller was atrocious and even Joe Morgan seemed to be trying to gloss over his comments and change the subject. Miller was nearing John Madden's incredible level of crappy / worthless commentary, a level I thought would never be approached again.

In addition, I think Morgan and Miller were still in TV mode because those two wouldn't stop talking about insignificant stats / details and let the play by play slide for their color analysis. It should go without saying that on radio, describing the action is first and foremost.

GO SOX!

by rhythm on Oct 13, 2007 11:52 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

The both of them have great voices to listen to
but the things that come out are just so ridiculous.   By the 7th, I'm usually just listening to them as an aesthetic experience because I eventually get to the point where I can drown out the individual words.
Peperony and chease

by colintj on Oct 14, 2007 12:14 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

What a Grinder
Eric Byrnes didnt disappoint tonight, he made another trademark throw so hard he could help but fall.
Hot dogs, armour hot dogs.

by omnipotent grab on Oct 13, 2007 1:52 AM CDT   0 recs

Sacrilege!
Chico Carrasquel, Louis Aparicio, Ozzie Guillen - What no Venezuelan shortstop in the pipeline!
Sacrilege!

by phastphil on Oct 13, 2007 7:51 AM CDT   0 recs

nothing significant
so I just added a couple links at the end of yesterday's post for now...

by The Wizard on Oct 13, 2007 1:31 PM CDT   0 recs

Question for Fellow Season Ticket Holders
Did anyone receive a 2nd box of promotional items from the Sox? I know we got one mid-season but just wondering about a second one (Thome bobblehead?)....I moved and might have missed it.  Thanks.

by stanchar on Oct 13, 2007 4:07 PM CDT   0 recs

Not yet...
Couldn't respond on the diary thread. Friend of mine had asked at the end of the season, he was told it would be a few weeks.
Just curious - will you be renewing? Most people I know are still about 50/50 on it. I change my mind about every other day.

by Brush Back on Oct 13, 2007 4:51 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

I have two tickets in 150.....
and two in 520, Row 2.....

NOT going to renew the 150....why pay $5300 bucks for those when I can pay $2300 for the 520 tix and still sit downstairs? So I will renew the 150....

by stanchar on Oct 13, 2007 8:22 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

154 and 152
Will def drop the 154 (4 partial weekend), still not decided on the (2) 152... It was pretty easy and cheap to pick seats up on ebay this year - if they don't improve, or only improve somewhat, it will still be easy and cheaper.

by Brush Back on Oct 13, 2007 10:55 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Joe Morgan's commentary
I remember him once saying about upper deck home runs that"you have to hit them both long and deep". Try to figure that one out.

I'm waiting for him to one day to inform us that pop ups are hit high.

Canada's finest

by MarkD on Oct 13, 2007 5:39 PM CDT   0 recs

Sox happy about last night's TV ratings?
Rox/D'backs'game the lowest rated televised playoff game since Sox/Angels in '05.  So we have that going for us.
2010 - the waiting is the hardest part.

by winningugly on Oct 13, 2007 7:32 PM CDT   0 recs

East Coast Bullshit
If ever a game was set up for TV failure...a Friday night game that doesn't end until around midnight PACIFIC TIME.
Make good money, five dollars a day.

by Toonderstrook on Oct 13, 2007 8:40 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Seriously, if baseball was as good as the NFL
at marketing itself, the Rockies and West Coast teams in general wouldn't have "snuck up" on everybody and I would have seen Matt Holliday on TV before they made the playoffs.  But Selig has let the media decide what's important and that means our game looks a lot like the Premiership, where there are 4 teams that everybody cares about and 16 others that some thousand of people care about.  Selig is such a bad commissioner.  Stern and Goodell know that you have to sell their game, Selig spends his time implicitly or worse excoriating his most popular players.  No one even flinched when Merriman was suspended.  Gah.

The NFL tries to make sure you care about as many teams as they can make interesting and make them available to watch every week. MLB, on the other hand, makes sure you can't watch anything but the one Fox game on Saturday afternoon and it's almost always the Yankees or Red Sox versus whoever, which emphasizes the crap  media line in the first place.  So now the NFL is more popular despite the fact that it's boring and often seemingly random.  It's underlined well by Simmons' weekly betting columns that always complain about how bad the football is and how little sense it makes, yet he keeps churning out the column.

Peperony and chease

by colintj on Oct 14, 2007 12:11 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

i don't think your comparison to
the premiership is particularly apt. they have rules to ensure that all their teams appear on the "showcase" TV times - you ever seen the rays on espn sunday night? and if you ever watch the EPL produced shows - preview show, premier league world, review show - sure, they'll probably lead off or finish the show with one of the big teams. but it's not like baseball tonight or something where you get a home run highlight and that's it of the jays-royals game while twenty minutes is spent on yankees-sox. if anything, mlb should look to the premiership for exactly how to market their league.
On Owens: "Jerry needs perfecting." - Ann Coulter

by larry on Oct 14, 2007 10:38 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

I've seen them and the difference
is that they just don't waste their lives talking without some sort of highlights to back up what they're saying.  This despite the fact that they've got far more time, since it's 10 games per weekend, divided into 2 days.  Baseball is a bit of an onslaught.  I don't think it's as egalitarian as you're making it out to be...it's somewhere in between our descriptions.  But the majority of the news I get is The Big Four.  What wackiness did Rooney perpetrate this time?  Why is Avram Grant a shitty coach?  Okay, really, no one ever talks shit about Arsenal as far as I know, but that's because Wenger is awesome.

It is true, though, that FSC will show whatever the game of the week is, regardless of the teams.  I think last week was Spurs vs. Tottenham?  I wish I would get a damn tivo.  I wish I could get into the Premiership more than I am, especially since watching hockey is such an ordeal and I don't care about most of the other fall-winter sports.

Peperony and chease

by colintj on Oct 14, 2007 12:37 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

i think you're viewing it
from the perspective of an american watching in america. it's quite different when you're in england. football there is very much like football here - it's the 800lb gorilla (probably even moreso than the NFL due to lack of competition). grab a newspaper there and, other than increased coverage of the local teams, you'll find pretty much equal coverage (and i'm talking a half to full page recap) of each game. you don't even see that for the NFL. obviously the big games draw more attention but you'll still see plenty of people out at the pubs watching a fulham - bolton monday nighter (and when would you ever see a similar baseball match-up so highlighted?).

the other thing you have to keep in mind is that they're playing in multiple competitions governed by different bodies. the big teams obviously get more attention because, in addition to being top of the league, they're in the champions league and tend to stay involved in the other cups longer. consequently, they have the financial muscle to also market themselves overseas. if you're comparing to the baseball playoffs, you're better off comparing it to the FA cup. you would never, ever see such poor ratings for an FA cup quarterfinal or semifinal - no matter who was in it. obviously there are some salient differences to consider (likely a one-off game, no time difference considerations, etc.) but the FA markets the hell out of these games, in addition to the marketing the EPL has done throughout the year on the teams. they make sure everyone knows who the main protaganists are. and they're huge, huge events acorss the country (and in many other countries) even if a particular match doesn't include a big club. no one in england was watching benni mccarthy or hameur bouazza for the first time during the FA cup last year.

and no one talks shit about wenger? i think you haven't been paying very close attention for very long.

On Owens: "Jerry needs perfecting." - Ann Coulter

by larry on Oct 14, 2007 1:17 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

aren't you in college?
get on a study abroad. i've spent a lot of time in manchester (and other part of the north of england, in addition to london so many times on business), though not on anything school related - athletics make it hard to fit in such things. unless you have serious money constraints, do a study abroad somewhere.
On Owens: "Jerry needs perfecting." - Ann Coulter

by larry on Oct 15, 2007 9:12 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

I second this study abroad thought
Although it was only for a semester, my exchange was absolutely amazing.

Do whatever you can to study abroad / exchange, there are plenty of scholarships and grants available to help pay for the total cost. If you can't find a scholarship, take out a loan. It is well worth the money.

I also highly suggest learning a second language, if you don't already know one, and studying some place where you can be immersed in your second language. It only adds to the experience.

GO SOX!

by rhythm on Oct 15, 2007 11:53 AM CDT to parent up