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Back in the day, it wasn't unusual for a new wrestler to target the champ shortly after his debut ... just because we've evolved with the internet doesn't mean that this practice should stop. It actually would help get Mordecai over with the marks, even if Eddy wins the 'feud'.

It just seems that a lot of the time the WWE has a mentality that to take a wrestler that's very over, and then turn them, will make them MORE over (but in the opposite way). For example, if the fans are really behind a face, and then that face turns heel, then they will be hated more than they were liked. (and vice versa) This works sometimes, but not all the time, and I truly think that this is one of the times that it won't work.

Dischord records is doing OK, and has been for 20+ years.

It'd be difficult to close Pandora's Box without the union screaming about collusion. The owners would need to agree to limit spending, or run the risk of one team going against the other 29 and offering a huge salary to a certain player. There'd need to be an agreement that no team would offer any player a salary of more than $X-million, and no team would spend more than #Y-million in total. Once the owners agree to this, it'd be collusion and the NHLPA would take them to court and probably win. There needs to be an agreement between the players and the owners, and that doesn't seem to be likely. And, Mike, I agree with you, the NBA is a horrible league to emulate. But, unfortunately, Bettman didn't work for the NFL, he worked for the NBA, and thus that's the mentality that he has. The league was in a better position before the most recent expansions ... even without the TV deal that it just enjoyed.

Yeah, I've heard rumblings that a prolonged war could mean the re-introduction of a draft. But what I haven't heard is kids as young as 15-16 would be eligible for the draft. There are more than enough 18-25 year olds that could be drafted before the lowering the age would need to be considered. I'm tempted to say Mr. Moore is making shit up ... but he wouldn't do something like that, would he?!?

But that contradicts your statment that no one is overpaid, and that people are paid what the market will bear. If the market value for an average player is $1.5 million dollars, regardless of how many or how few teams there are, an average player will earn $1.5 million, no more & no less. If the players are too adament that they'll play for $4.5 million or nothing, then they'll be paid nothing. And as a hockey fan, I'm baffled that you'd say that there aren't any players that put asses in seats. There's a reason that I didn't reference Atlanta (Kovalchuk), Calgary (Iginla) and Minnesota (Gaborik) when I wanted to refer to teams that aren't traditionally a big draw. Because as a hockey fan, I go to games to see players like the three that I just mentioned, and thus, feel that they do put asses in seats. Does it make Joe Fan, who doesn't care about hockey regardless of who's playing, want to go? No. But one of the things that's put hockey behind the eight-ball like this is sucking up to Joe Fan compared to appeasing the die-hard hockey fans that have been around forever. Their little "emulate the NBA" experiment has bombed.

Hmmm, so it's a big coincidence that when a team like the Flyers or Avalanche come to Boston for a game here, it sells out or at least comes really close, but when a team like the Blue Jackets or Coyotes come, it doesn't? No, of course it's not a coincidence, it's people wanting to see a player like Roenick or Forsberg more than a player like Nash or Gratton. To say that no one puts asses in seats is laughable. Maybe the TV ratings don't spike much, but even that's hard to say when most teams are never shown on TV. And, yes, I can almost predict your response of "well, the TV ratings are worse than Arena Football" but that doesn't mean a Detroit-Colorado game wouldn't draw better than a Columbus-Nashville game; just because both would be below the AFL doesn't mean that there wouldn't be better ratings for the Detroit-Colorado match-up.

In partial agreement with what Thumbtack said, I've heard that Il Duce admitted to some involvement, with some admissions ranging as far as he pulled the trigger. But, in the grand scheme of things, I care so little about Cirk Kobean that I really don't care who pulled the trigger. So, my post might just be a big ol' +1.

The guy from Grounded for Life is the only one that I really disliked ... he just never seemed that funny to me. I know people that crack up from him, though, so I guess it's just subjective. I don't mind the "I Love the --'s" or "Best Week Ever", but it's just because I've actually heard of most of the stars that are commenting on the subject. When VH1 did the Top 50 Worst Songs thing, they had a bunch of nobodies (so-and-so from Blender Magazine, so-and-so from MTV) who weren't really that funny, trying to be funny. At least put a comedian out there that has a sense of timing and delivery.

Since when has there been talk of recruiting kids that young to serve in the military? It's the first that I've heard of it. And maybe WHEN that happens people would be willing to let them see his unbiased documentary. But to say that they should be able to see it NOW just because something MIGHT happen in a couple of years is a joke. And, Jimmy Saint, a lot of us are making fat jokes about Moore because he's fat, not to 'defend America' per-se. And I'm actually in reasonably good shape, certainly better than average, am I allowed to make fat jokes, or am I too fat of a bastard to do so?

Mike you and I will need to agree to disagree today (although this really has nothing to do with our wizzing match in CE/HD) ... how can you say that the NHL will not survive? Maybe it won't survive as it's presently known, but it'll take more than a prolonged lockout to put an end to franchises such as the Red Wings, Maple Leafs, Canadiens, Bruins, Flyers, etc. Maybe a team like the Panthers will cease to exist, or the Penguins, or the Mighty Ducks, but the NHL existed long before those teams came about, and would continue to exist even if some of the new-school teams folded.

Bourque got robbed ... while it'd be a lie to say that this was a top 10 or 20 moment, it's certainly too low for how much hype and publicity surrounded it. Especially when just another Yankees comeback was just 2 spots below it.

Well, even if every other old person has already quit the TSM, at least I know that the good Dr. is older than me, and that Lushus is almost as old as me.

Again, Mike, I find myself owing you a big thank you ... going out of your way to use small words so a simpleton like me can understand. If only everyone was this kind, the world would be a better place. Seeing as we're both reasonably smart people, do I need to point out that it's pretty funny that you'd spend even a little time posting about how irrelevant I am? I tend to, you know, ignore those that I find irrelevant. Put, again, I'm evidently pretty stupid, so what do I know? (and, if you truly wanted to let me know how little my opinions meant to you, not responding to my posts would have been a much better way) And, thumbtack, this is actually one of my first CE fights, so I'm probably not the best person to answer your inquiry. However, having said all that, if this is indicative of how much fun they are, this also might be one of my last CE fights.

While I appreciate the efforts and apology, Mike, and I do recognize that you really don't give a shit what I think, I must ask: what exactly does that last sentence mean? "I will, in the future, attempt to remove that misconception from you." - wouldn't it be ME that had to remove a misconception, for it was I that had erroneously thought that you gave a shit what I thought? How are you going to remove one of my misconceptions? (it doesn't involve any torture or brain-washing, does it? because I'm really against the idea of being tortured or force to re-learn how to think and whatnot). Maybe if you'd said that you would remove a misconception for me, rather than from me, it'd have made sense, but even that is iffy. Methinks your quest to use big words caused your original thoughts to be lost in translation. And I can't stress this enough, a big thank you for your heart-felt apology.

I'm among the oldest, but like kkk said, not the oldest. Aren't there a few 30+ year olds running around out there?

Mike ... please don't tell me that you don't udnerstand that I quoted your post on purpose. Was it too subtle? Should I have not quoted it and said "it'd be as annoying as if I quoted Mike's post in this one"? Just saying how obnoxious it is is one thing; showing how obnoxious it is is another. I'm a conservative and yet I find myself rooting for the liberals in a lot of these threads. Job well done, Mike.

General Chat is a few folders down. -=Mike Am I the only one that finds it unnecessary to quote the first post when the quoter's post is the second one in the thread? If the reader can't figure out what the response is to, they have bigger issues than can be resolved on a message board.

I read just recently (maybe ESPN the Magazine?) that the league was pressuring the Hornets about moving because they want the owner (Shinn?) to sell the team. Now, I don't follow the NBA at all, so have no idea why they'd want him to sell, or how they think they could do so, but in answer to the question in the original post, yes, I have heard that there are rumors of the team moving again.

So many different thoughts after reading this thread ... a) What? There's going to be a labor dispute? Why is this the first that I've heard of this; why hasn't this gotten more press before now? (man, is sarcasm a great thing.) b) Bad news, Mike & Sins ... I doubt that this will 'kill off' hockey for good. It'll do huge damage to the sport, and there will undoubtedly be teams that don't make it through the lockout (Pittsburgh, for example) but there will always be fans in Montreal, Toronto, Boston & Detroit. Throw in some of the other die-hard cities (Colorado, Edmonton, Philly, St Louis, etc) there will be enough for there to be some sort of league. c) Hockey doesn't get overshadowed by the NBA playoffs, it gets overshadowed by everything (NBA playoffs, MBL regular season, NASCAR, golf, tennis, etc) I'd like to see them shorten the season by a dozen games or so, but not to avoid the NBA. d) You can't eliminate fighting, if you look at the leagues where fighting is banned (particular in Europe) the amount of stickwork is through the roof, because there's no repurcussions for doing it. There's been more dangerous hits, slashes, spears, etc. in the 10-15 years since the fighting rules were tightened then there were in the decades before. Let the players police themselves, and it's a better game. I do agree with Rrrsh, though, that the fighters get way too much attention, but that's the media's fault: they'd rather show a brawl or Bertuzzi-gate than show Luongo or Brodeur stand on their heads and make great saves, or Iginla or Kovalchuk score an amazing goal.

#2 is "Lance Von Erich", who wrestled as Ricky Vaughn in PNW before starting in WCCW.

It's hard not to laugh when someone throws the same 'little guy going after the big guy' shtick at Moore that he uses every time. This seems to be a remake of "Roger & Me" but with Moore in the place of Roger. I'll definitely check it out.

While Olympic wrestling is pretty unimportant to most of the world, I really think that Gardner beating Karelin should have been much higher. Now, I'm not talking top 10 or anything like that, but the man hadn't lost in over a decade. That's a-freaking-mazing. But, yet it's barely a better moment than Clemens throwing a bat. Nice work yet again, ESPN.

notJames, you couldn't be more right. OpIvy > Rancid. To even imply anything else would be a farce.

Stereolab -- Les Yper Sound