Member for

15 years 6 months
Points
99.00

Recent Comments

Date Title Body
It would appear that Bo was…

You're not calling Bo a liar, are you?

Jay Vancik. Man, hadn't

Jay Vancik. Man, hadn't thought about him in a long time! I still have one of his sticks from a M hockey garage sale from years ago. Got a Dave Huntzicker and a Reilly Olson stick too. Somehow I ended up with a collection of unheralded M defenseman hockey sticks haha.

UM 24 - NW 16

UM 23 - NW 16

That is correct.  Kind of. 

That is correct.  Kind of.  His actual salary goes up each year and includes bonuses, but the cap hit (the average) is 662.5k/per year while he's in the NHL.

SEASON AHL SALARY NHL SALARY P. BONUSES S. BONUS CAP HIT
2011-12 $65,000 $612,500 $0 $87,500 $662,500
2012-13 $65,000 $637,500 $0 $87,500 $662,500
2013-14 $65,000 $737,500 $0 $87,500 $662,500

 

I agree, Norm is hilarious,

I agree, Norm is hilarious, he's just not for everyone.  Dry anti-humor is tough for most people, but it's a great craft and Norm is a master at it.  People always seem shocked when they hear that the best comedians in the business find him very funny.  His Saget roast was classic Norm; hilarious, ballsy, and over the head of most people.  I feel sorry for those who couldn't appreciate that set. 

 

I found this part kind of

I found this part kind of funny....

--- Titus Young, on being called a "poor man's DeSean Jackson'':

"I've never been poor. I've never been another man's nothing. I've always been Titus Young from day one. My mother named me Titus Demetrius Young, she didn't name me anything else. I know people will compare me to other people but God made me to be me. He made me to be Titus Demetrius Young. My initials are T.D. Young. Touchdown Young.''

http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2011/04/detroit_lions_titus_young_balk.html

I didn't expect a whole lot

I didn't expect a whole lot more than what the Yotes showed.  They lack depth and have a shady defense.  The one thing that was worse than expected was Bryzgalov. 

What was really surprising, though, was Detroit's team defense, which was horrible during the regular season.  The Wings often "flip the switch" going into the playoffs, but the team defense this year was the worst since the lockout, so I was somewhat skeptical about that switch being flipped this year.  We ended up seeing a Wings team firing on all cylinders though, and without Zetterberg to boot.  Made for a boring, albeit satisfying, series.  If they continue playing this way, they'll be in line for a real strong run indeed. 

Is this what we are looking

Is this what we are looking for?

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/idol-worship/taylor-hicks-singing-friday-jimmy-174232

(video about a quarter of the way down the page)

PAAAAAIIIN.  So much pain.

PAAAAAIIIN.  So much pain.

"Ron, did ya notice maybe you

"Ron, did ya notice maybe you clipped me a little there?"

Haha, I too loved the CareerBuilder ad.  Probably my second favorite after the Chrysler/Detroit spot.  Loved the Volkswagen/Vader commercial too.  Those were probably my top-3.

Ok, that was awkward. 

Ok, that was awkward.  Staubach having to carry the trophy through a mass of grown, sweaty men while they all reach out and molest it.  Looked like Staubach was a little scared.

Nice, I had some Schlafly's

Nice, I had some Schlafly's for the first time over the holidays when I was in Wichita.  Good stuff.

I'm currently drinking a Bell's Porter.

Oh hell, this Chrysler ad

Oh hell, this Chrysler ad getting me pumped!  Detroit baby!

Autotune!  I know I shouldn't

Autotune!  I know I shouldn't have been surprised, but man, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. 

A bad acid trip.

A bad acid trip.

I tried, but I couldn't mute

I tried, but I couldn't mute the TV fast enough.  BEP made my ears bleed again.

The CareerBuilder commercial

The CareerBuilder commercial with the chimps deserves some props, that was a good one.

Did anyone notice Christina

Did anyone notice Christina Aguilera mess up the national anthem before the game?

Edit: Nevermind, already discussed, my bad :(

Me too.  I was expecting to

Me too.  I was expecting to be enchanted by another one of his drunken adventures.

Moreover, it was a bad team

Moreover, it was a bad team culture in San Jose for a long time (and probably still is).  Poor leadership led to a directionless team and their lockerroom failed to exude a winning attitude.  That team was a paper tiger in the playoffs that could not overcome adversity.  Nabokov was not the primary culprit, and the knowledgeable Sharks fans I've talked to know this.

On the ice, San Jose's biggest problem in the playoffs has been their big scorers disappearing and, subsequently, their offense drying up.  Not sure how Nabokov can be blamed for that.

That's simply not true.  Not

That's simply not true.  Not only has it been the defense in front of him, it's been the entire team, starting with Thornton.  He has struggled and made mistakes of his own accord, no doubt, but his "lol biggest choke artist ever" reputation is overblown.  He has never lost a playoff series in which the team in front of him has managed to score 2 or more goals per game.  Not a stat his biggest detractors expect to see.  It is the team that folds.

His problem isn't that he is a choke artist, it's that he lets in occassional soft goals at a rate that is higher than most goalies of his ability.  On the other hand, he's one of the quickest and most talented goalies in the world.  Enter inconsistency.  With Nabokov, you get both extremes, never knowing which one you'll get at any given time.

Who was the Superfan in 2000

Who was the Superfan in 2000 and in 2004?  The same guy, or two different ones?

They are on the 10th

They are on the 10th Superfan?  They have a new one every year now?  The hell?  When did that start?  Do they pass the costume along each year, or is a new one made?

I done got old!

At least the direction of the

At least the direction of the jets is pretty much correct, as the closest F-22s would be coming from New Mexico.  *shrug*

The plans must have changed,

The plans must have changed, as I could have sworn the original announcement (before the season started) was that it was going to be F-16s.  T-38s will look good though. 

For those who aren't familiar with the T-38, well, look it up on Wikipedia lol.  A couple fun facts not included on Wikipedia....

- Mostly because its wings are so short and stubby, it has the highest roll rate of any aircraft in the US inventory; 720 degrees/second.  Two complete rolls in a second.

- Along with the F-5 (a single-seat variant), it was used to portray the "MiG-28s" in the movie Top Gun (there is no such thing as a MiG-28).

Seems strange that Donald

Seems strange that Donald Brown is actually younger than Hart.

Eh, I've seen better

Eh, I've seen better costumes.

Illinois-Purdue..... that was

Illinois-Purdue..... that was one of the best onside kicks I've ever seen.  And it was an accident.  Probably the quickest recovery by the kicking team ever too.  Not sure why the kicker ran directly off the field right after he kicked it, that was a bit strange.  Just a weird play all-around.

486

486

Negligence and lack of

Negligence and lack of training.  Whoever was responsible for the use of the lift should have made all operators (including this kid) aware of all safety warnings and cautions.  Having been an aircraft maintenance officer in the AF in Wichita, KS (windiest damn city in the world), I always made sure my troops knew the limitations for all lifts, stands, and ladders in the wind.  From that perspective, this is especially frustrating.  Condolences to family and friends.

Don't worry, I'd still hire

Don't worry, I'd still hire you on at my PR firm.

Dallas with the same record

Dallas with the same record as Detroit, ha!

Not sure why I got negged,

Not sure why I got negged, I'm genuinely interested in the source.  I verified that at least three of those rankings are not correct. 

I agree with the overall

I agree with the overall sentiment, and I certainly wouldn't be opposed to having Beltre instead of Inge.  Afterall, there's no salary cap and it's not my money.  That said, I'm fine with keeping Inge and spending elsewhere too.  We'll probably have to wait and see what else the Tigers do by next season before we have a good assessment though.

Btw, how are you defining "old player skills"?

Lastly, I'm not sure Beltre really has much of an advantage, if one at all, in durability.  I know Inge has played a lot of games while injured, but he is playing them.  Games missed due to injury per year:

 

Inge

2005 - 0

2006 - 0

2007 - 5

2008 - 15

2009 - 1

2010  - 15

 

Beltre

2005 - 6

2006 - 5

2007 - 10

2008 - 5

2009 - 49

2010 - 2

Ah, I love fangraphs, but

Ah, I love fangraphs, but I've found their fielding statistics to be less reliable than their hitting and pitching numbers.  For example, Fangraphs has Inge behind Jose Lopez in fielding which is, quite frankly, laughable.  Fielding is more of an inexact science than hitting or pitching and can't be quantified as easily.  I haven't examined all of the deficiencies in the fielding numbers, but one example is the points players get for turning double plays, which are largely a function of the pitching staff and the number of ground balls they induce.  The large fluctuation in each of the numbers from year to year is also suspect. 

Having watched a lot of games from both teams, Inge has slightly better range than Beltre.  He gets to balls Beltre doesn't get to.  And yet, at least this year, he still maintains a higher fielding % than Beltre.  He also has more accurate throws when off-balance.  They are two of the best in the AL though.  Longoria is probably in the mix too.

The story seems to

The story seems to demonstrate that it is not a widespread, or even common, phenomenon.  However, it doesn't rule out any individual case from being an example of it being true. 

And while I agree that ballparks can have a significant effect, it doesn't rule out other factors.  For example, how do you explain his 2004 season?

Do you have a source

Do you have a source for those numbers?

The irrational Inge hate is

The irrational Inge hate is definitely worse than the irrational Inge love. 

Btw, aside from being one of the two best defensive 3Bs in the AL, Inge was 5th in OPS last season among AL 3Bs.  

Nothing, he's a solid 3B. 

Nothing, he's a solid 3B.  The Inge hate is silliness.  People who don't like this signing are out of touch with the FA market this year. 

How do you know it's not

How do you know it's not causation? 

I wouldn't state as fact that

I wouldn't state as fact that Beltre is the best in the AL defensively.  Inge has something to say about that.

Inge is more bang for the buck when you consider salaries.  Paying over 100% more for Belre to get the difference in offense is not worth it. 

He's better than decent

He's better than decent defensively.  Perhaps the best in the AL; him or Beltre anyway. 

Several 120s?  That's a

Several 120s?  That's a pretty gigantic beer to have several of.  Personally, I prefer the original, the 90 Minute IPA.  In fact, when in Ann Arbor, I love nothing more than rolling into Ashley's and ordering a cask-conidtioned 90.  Yay for the firkin.

I think he was also

I think he was also manipulating lines that deployed the American flag that was between him and the parachute.

A bio of his stated that, in

A bio of his stated that, in his time as a paratrooper, he has never missed a target.  Probably a bit subjective, but impressive nonetheless.

You pretty much nailed it. 

You pretty much nailed it.  By angling himself so that he is facing the ground, he loses altitude more quickly.  The spinning is incorporated during such a maneuver to both help keep him stabilized and to maintain his path toward the stadium.

Well, he does have over 1000

Well, he does have over 1000 jumps under his belt, so he's probably used to it.  That said, I did meet a paratropper who had over 3000 jumps and was still terrified of heights.  Said his legs shook uncontrollably before every jump.  Some people just run on adrenaline, it's a pretty enjoyable drug after all.

Why is Comcast getting more

Why is Comcast getting more games this year?  It sucks they have the 2nd-round of the CCHA playoffs. 

Also, that schedule probably isn't final.  ESPNU typically picks up a couple games, but they don't usually have their schedule set before the season starts.

For us DirecTV users, I currently count 15-18 games reaching our TVs.  That seems like a normal amount, yeah?

Here is my attempt.....

....how bad is it?

Pos

First Second
DE Jibreel Black Steve Watson
NT Mike Martin William Campbell
DE/DT Ryan Van Bergen Terry Talbott
LB/DE Craig Roh

Brandon Herron

MLB Kenny Demens

Isaiah Bell

WLB JB Fitzgerald Mike Jones
Spur Carvin Johnson Thomas Gordon
Bandit Marvin Robinson Jordan Kovacs
FS Cam Gordon Ray Vinopal
CB1 Troy Woolfolk Cullen Christian
CB2 JT Floyd Courtney Avery

 

I'm not giving up on

I'm not giving up on Campbell, I just don't see him starting next season, unless he shows huge improvement and/or Martin leaves school early.  I don't think that's a big deal either, if Martin stays and Black continues his pace of progression that we've read about (might be a big if, I admit). 

Beyond that, we'll probably really need Campbell come his senior year (unless Richard Ash explodes onto the scene), so I hope he puts everything together.