Metallica - Death Magnetic
 

Return to form prior to the black album.

Love the new CD.

Heard their new song on the radio. Not bad, sort of Fade to Black-ish.

So what you are saying is that they still suck. Metallica has, and always will, suck.

They're kinda similar to your knowledge of Baseball.

Or any of your sports takes for that matter.

You present no challenge anymore.

What if I said Metallica sucks - always has and always will. How would that compare to my knowledge of baseball? ;)

I'm just not a fan. The only song they do that I like is Enter Sandman and that was because the Utes used to use that as the Utes came out of the tunnel and just before kickoffs to get the crowd going.

This is hilarious in light of the Michel Inoa conversation. Really you know nothing about rookie contracts and salary control for players in MLB.

I guess I will do you a service and educate you on this.

It will be highly unlikely that the A's bring Inoa up until he is 20 years old, and even then it is more likely he is brought up when he is 21.

So here is how the clock starts on free agency.

3-years of service in MLB and you are arbitration eligible.
6-years on a roster until you are free agency eligible.

This means Inoa at the earliest because a free agent when he is 27 more likely when he is 28. The A's will get at least 6-years of Major league service out of him. The 25-28 year old period will likely be the prime of his career, sure you can throw out guys like Clemens, Randy Johnson but those guys are the exceptions not the rule.

Alternatively, the A's could do something similar to what they did with Rich Harden. Sign him to a contract extension during his 3rd year to avoid arbitration. It would not be difficult to lock him up at a 4-year contract at that time, which could give the A's 7 years of his services.

I guess there really is no consensus on when pitchers seem to decline, but most studies really put that from about 28 on that pitchers start to decline.

http://www.baseballthinkfactory.org/...rs_to_decline/

Here is another interesting study.

"From this, I think it is safe to say that the best estimate of peak pitching performance is a little more than 28. It is a little higher for good pitchers, and a little earlier for lower quality pitchers."

http://www.sabernomics.com/sabernomi...g-performance/

And in spite of all your fellatio over Moneyball..it hasn't won the A's Jack shit in terms of being able to keep those players has it?

*Cue next bullshit dishonest response trying to back up his claim while pretending he's actually a legit A's fan before the extremely overated Moneyball came along post*

No because you're not a dumbfuck that is wrong 100% of the time regarding every topic on the history of the earth like the Funkster is. Besides you like Mark Knopfler and I can dig that. :)

However if you get bored you can resort to Funk acting like Yewt "fan" in his obsession about always concerned about what BYU fans are saying and thinking on internet message boards, and then basically have no one respond in kind to him, because they see his Zootness and just smile.

But you're better than that. :)

Nice job addressing the substance of the argument.

I wasn't an A's fan before reading Moneyball because I wasn't a baseball fan before Moneyball. Try again.

Have you even read Moneyball or have you read it and misunderstand the point behind the book like 95% of the people who read it?

Seeing as you refuse to address the substance of any argument, I doubt you will answer this one, but please in one sentence describe the point of Moneyball. It should be easy for anyone who read the book and understands the book.

Thank you in advance.

Your response had substance to it?

Next thing you know Funk might actually understand what the fuck even he himself is posting.

I'm curious to see which miracle occurs first.

Typical Rocky Balboa never address the substance of an argument, just throw out insults. I'm glad to see that you are at least consistent.

That wasn't an insult.

It was factual reality.

We have years of proof of your posts as such. Also please explain your 0% record in losing every single sports debate you've ever been in. Now THAT'S consistency.

Ever.

You're the penultimate Yewt "fan".

It's okay for you to pretend otherwise though.

In the meantime I'll think of another easy bet that you're a big enough dumbshit to fall into that I can take advantage of, but then taking candy from babies would be more difficult than that.

Let me spell it out in a simple form because you don't seem to have inability to follow an argument.

1) I stated that the A's will hold the rights to Michel Inoa what is most likely the most productive years of his career 21 through approximately 28.
2) I gave you the details on MLB rookie salary contracts (3 years until arbitration eligible and 6 years until free agency eligible)
3) You stated the A's wouldn't likely have his best years
4) I gave studies on when pitchers begin to decline to support my argument that the A's will likely have Inoa through his best years
5) You throw out insults.

In this whole thing you are the one who made up that I was making a claim that the A's would keep him after free agency. If he ends up being great it is unlikely that the A's hold onto him after his free agency years. He is likely a 6-7 year player for the A's. I'm very happy with this because that means we get his best years.

I'm still waiting on your thoughts on Moneyball.

Time will tell if you get his best years.

Moneyball hasn't won the A's a World Series yet much less got them to it.

Cue Funk's excuse that only the teams who're lucky win the World Series.

Not really. I hang out on message boards, don't I?

Still not addressing the argument. Also, still haven't given a simple statement of the point of Moneyball. You keep throwing out the term Moneyball but cannot even define what it is.

It isn't excuse that only teams who are lucky win the World Series. When no statistical study can really show what factor wins in the playoffs, it becomes clear that luck is a major factor. Read the chapter Why Billy Beane's Shit Doesn't Work in the Playoffs in Baseball Between the Numbers. Oh wait, you refuse to acknowledge anything that doesn't conform to your preconceived notions.

Yep, no post-season success certainly equals to "pre-conceived" notions instead of factual reality and history having already spoken for itself.

Dumbass.

All this could have been avoided if mpfunk didnt dis Metallica.

What's not to dis?

I don't see the appeal of metal.

So great source of all knowledge, what is it about the way that Billy Beane built those A's team that caused them to fail in the playoffs?

http://books.google.com/books?id=uxd...sult#PPA353,M1

I don't either, but I recall perfectly who it did appeal to when it was popular and they all wore this jacket:
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1032/...d9a9c7c1c5.jpg

That jacket is rad! I can smell it from here.

Do you remember the deluxe metal jackets that had the white faux-lamb's wool lining? You were pretty hard core if you had one of those.

When i was in junior high, I went to the local carnival and bought a Judas Priest "Screaming for Vengeance" t shirt and an Iron Maiden "Piece of Mind" t shirt. My mom said i couldnt wear them because it was devil music.

Yes they smell like cigarettes and ganja. I actually liked some of the "pop" metal of my era but the most hard core it got for me was my Bon Jovi album. My folks didn't ever have to worry about me wearing a jacket like that, but by the time I was in junior high the whole goth thing had taken such hold that my mom wouldn't allow me to own ANY black clothing.

I used part of my first ever paycheck to buy Ozzy's "Ultimate Sin" album. My mom about pooed herself. She made me take it back immediately. With the next paycheck, I bought the cassette tape, which was much easier to hide.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...timate_sin.jpg

Oh okay...so the A's haven't won a World Series since the Bash Brothers, and Moneyball hasn't got them one ring under Beane's reign using that style of management.

Thanks for proving me factually correct again.

Dumbass.

Quit hijacking your own thread, Rocky.

Dang.

You really aren't following this argument are you?

Please explain Beane's style of management. You seem to have such great knowledge of it, but you cannot actually explain it.

Plus, I wasn't arguing that the A's have actually won a World Series. I'm arguing that winning the World Series requires a lot of luck.

I had countless devil music lectures growing up.

What sweet vindication it was to hear "Welcome to the Jungle" at the Lord's University's home football games.

Worst Metallica thread ever.

Did anyone else repeatedly see the demonstration where someone was asked to hold their arms out and resist the person as they tried to push their arms back down, first with classical music playing (during which they could resist the pushing) and then with heavy metal playing (during which they couldn't). I got that one several times and although it was apparently self-evident to everyone else what that demonstrated, it never was to me. Satan weakens your muscles if you listen to metal?

By the time Guns and Roses had released Appetite for Destruction, I was already well into my HS career and my mom had already lost me to Satanism.

My metal lectures were from my junior high days, with metal albums such as Dio (Holy Diver), Motley Crue (Shout at the Devil), Iron Maiden (Killers, Piece of Mind, et al), and Ozzy (Diary of a Madman).

Also, how many folks here spent time arguing with classmates about the opening lines of Def Leppard's "Rock of Ages?" What exactly does that monk say? I dont know if we will ever really know...

I haven't seen that one.

But I remember in junior high, an 8th grader told me that KISS stood for "Knights in Satan's Service." Also, AC/DC stood for "Anti Christ/Devil's Children." That was some freaky crap right there.

Don't forget WASP (We are Sexual Perverts, or We are Satans People) and Rush (Raised Under Satan's Hand).

I forgot about WASP, but really good call on that one.

I was never freaked out by RUSH. It is hard to feel Satan's influence when you are laughing at the music/vocals.

Another cool freak-out: warning on Motley Crue's Shout at the Devil: "This Record May Contain Backward Messages." Also, the pentagram is really Satan's headshot......his two horns, his chin, and the two points on his cape.

That's funny re. Motley Crue. I'm not sure anyone took them seriously as legit devil music (well, besides moms and Tipper Gore).

There is a theory out there that positive reinforcement increases muscle strength and negative reinforcement takes it away. It does appear to actually have some foundation to it. You can experiment on a friend- have them hold their arms out and ask them to say their name. They should hold up strong. Ask them to hold their arms out and tell you a lie. Most people's arms will fall further than they did when telling the truth.

It is weird.

And I like Metallica.

SO! Now we know why McCain can't raise his arms above his head....

My BIL and I got a good laugh out of them playing Third Eye Blind's "Semi Charmed Life". Whoever was in charge of the tunes at LES didn't listen too close to that one.