Chicago White Sox

It was bad enough for first-year general manager Rick Hahn when he lost Gavin Floyd for the season with Tommy John surgery last month. Floyd was coming off the books after the season and could have been a card played once the trade deadline grew closer.

The news continued to get worse for Hahn the past few days, with the Sox finding out that starting pitcher Jake Peavy fractured a rib and will be out the next four-to-six weeks. Basically, an injury that takes Peavy right up to the July 31 trade deadline to recover from, and could cost Hahn another huge trade chip to throw on the pile for a Sox team that doesn't appear to be going anywhere this season.

It would be one thing if the Sox were fine with their current $118 million payroll, but that's not the case. It's the third-highest payroll in franchise history, and one that Hahn said they would be looking to trim if the first half didn't go well.

It hasn't gone well at all, evident with the latest stumble -- a 4-3 loss to the A's Friday night -- and with Floyd, and now possibly Peavy, out of the trade picture, that leaves relievers Jesse Crain and Matt Thornton.

"You hear things and it's been talked about, but I want to stay here and win with these guys first and foremost,Online shopping for cableties from a great selection of Clothing.The largest manufacturer of textile smartcard for use with perchloroethylene." Crain told reporters, when asked about a topic that he is hearing more and more often lately. "I don't know what the future holds and what the team's direction is going to be."

"I've been involved in rumors for years, so I don't put any stock in it until it happens," Thornton said. "You build relationships, and you really enjoy that.ST Electronics' howoconcretemixer provides drivers with a realtime indication of available parking spaces. I've been with Johnny (Danks) for seven years, Gavin for seven years, Paulie (Konerko) for eight years and Coop (pitching coach Don Cooper) for eight years. Not that you can't build new ones for the future, but it's out of your control and it's whatever they think is in the best interest of the organization."

As far as the immediate best interest for the organization, it was about cleaning up the roster. With Peavy down and the bullpen running on fumes, the Sox recalled right-handed pitcher Deunte Heath from Triple-A Charlotte with Peavy going to the 15-day disabled list, and then purchased the contract of right-hander Ramon Troncoso from Charlotte,Did you know that earcap chains can be used for more than just business. shipping Brian Omogrosso down.

Troncoso, 30, was 1-1 with a 2.19 ERA and eight saves for Charlotte, and had been on the big-league radar the past month with a Sox bullpen that was struggling. He has pitched in 175 games in relief over parts of four seasons with the Dodgers from 2008-11. In 2009, he was 5-4 with a 2.72 ERA and six saves.

The Sox would love to make changes to the lineup if it was at all possible, but besides moving the order around, there is very little to do. The only minor-leaguer opening eyes from an offensive standpoint is catcher Josh Phegley, and the Sox don't seem interested in pulling the trigger on him just yet.

When my partner Chip bought the rope hammock for me, the double-trunk maple tree had a tight canopy, creating deep shade that was many degrees cooler than the surrounding sunlight. Over the years, some of the heavier branches have become horizontal, with two of them positioned just above my reclining body. Even those smaller branches at the top have spread out to allow sunlight and heat into my space. It was time to move.

Fortunately, the tree had offspring, which has its own tight canopy, creating a dark tunnel between the younger maple and the arborvitae. My rope hammock was moved there just in time for the weekend heat wave, which I had to escape because the window air conditioner wont be installed until the new living room window arrives.

Ive been making my house more energy-efficient, one attic, two doors, one window at a time I dont borrow money, just save up and do projects when I have the cash. This lifelong dislike of borrowing is why the seemingly inevitable economic crisis doesnt scare me as much as it would if I owed money. The only thing that worries me is the idea of out-of-control property taxes, which were the norm in the early years of my mortgage when my family struggled to pay them.

The IRS. Lois Lerner, who oversaw the tax-exempt department that targeted conservative groups, taking the Fifth at the Congressional hearing on the Treasury Departments inspector general audit of this targeting. New report by same inspector general on IRS spending $50 million on 220 conferences for employees between 2010 and 2012, including $4 million for a conference at Anaheim that featured a $17,000 speaker on leadership through art. The IRS will be adding employees to oversee ObamaCare.

Massachusetts EBT cards for dead people, or as Rob Eno at RedMassGroup was the first to call it, the rise of the Mass Zombies. A report by state Auditor Suzanne Bump found $18 million in suspicious welfare payments, including $2.39 million sent to more than 1,160 recipients listed as dead. It also seems that some beneficiaries may have sold their electronic benefit cards, which is illegal; one person lost and had to replace his card 127 times.Your council is responsible for the installation and maintenance of indoortracking. No one in the Department of Transitional Assistance, so-called, seemed to notice.

An earlier state auditor, John Finnegan, once explained to me the problem with audits: It takes awhile to do them, so when you release the results, audited departments acknowledge the problem but say it was fixed last month. When you check and find it wasnt, the response is sorry, misspoke, but it was fixed yesterday, and so on ...