Sass

Green Destiny should be able to help you out figuring who's who. Good site for the bare back info. For a guy who professes ignorance, you seem to at least have a good grasp on the names. KENTA will be an ace for the company one day. If he bulks up a bit, he'll be wrestling for the GHC title in a couple of years. Both guys are the best "monster gaijin" workers NOAH has to offer, for better or for worse. Both guys got a title shot against Kenta Kobashi during his 2 + years title reign. The Awesome match seems to be the one that many people like more since Kobashi was actually getting thrown around a bit in it. That doesn't happen too often to him. Williams and Scorpio are one of the better tag teams in NOAH. Yone, KENTA, and Marufuji, once they bulk up some, are going to be the next generation of ace's, along with Shiozaki, dueling it up for the GHC title. The future looks bright for NOAH's main event prospects. Shinobu Kandori. "Girl" heh Rikio had quite a showing in his breakout match. It appears to have panned out. The NOAH shows in particular are a nice alternatice to the WWE's junk sometimes.

Before you two get into it, again, and possibly derail this thread, I'd like to just say that I doubt AoO will be around to make the next pick unless he already PM'ed his selection(s). He's really a morning to late evening guy during the week. He's not really around much on the weekends. So yeah, give him Maurice. ... Okay, I kid, I kid. In all seriousness though, FS, leave the side banter to PM's since I doubt *anyone* here would even want MC to begin with, even as a joke. If he hadn't shat the bed with his 40 time, I wouldn't have been opposed to taking him for the Raiders before they picked up LaMont Jordan since it's clear the young and dumb jackass wants to play ball still.

Let Tanahashi be the one to dethrone Tenzan if/when he get's the title as a shifting of generations match or something. Just give Tenzan a good run with the title this time and not let him get eaten up by some washed up MMA goon. Then let Tanahashi run roughshod over the past generation (Chono, Nagata, Nishimura, etc.) and throw in some credible looking tough gaijin's his way and watch him grow to be big.

Having Shinjiro Ohtani, Takao Omori, Masato Tanaka and Kohei Sato would make a world of differnce with the quality of this year's show. BLOCK A: - Satoshi Kojima - Kensuke Sasaki - Takao Omori - Taiyo Kea - Shuji Kondo - Kohei Sato BLOCK B: - Keiji Muto - Toshiaki Kawada - Kohei Suwama - Shinjiro Ohtani - Masato Tanaka - Love Machine Arashi Just make it all natives (plus one Hawaiian) and let the RO&D and Voodoo Murder guys have tag matches on the undercards all the time along with a couple Jr. matches. Mix match the actual matches around with the guys above and you have some potentially entertaing matches compared to the actual ones themselves. The gaijin vs. gaijin matches could be something brutal to watch. Z-1's Fire Festival's have managed to churn out better tournament's than the CC has for a while.

Yeesh, Nakamura wrestling for 60 minutes? That's like filling the Kool-aid with cyanide. Kojima *should* have gone over Nakamura in like 2/3's of that time if he's going to job the title to Tenzan at the next Dome show. Hopefully, if he wins, this title reign will be undisturbed for Tenzan, who finally get's his revenge against Kojima. There's a wonderful storyline there that just got muddled up with this Nakamura draw nonsense. Inoki must have slapped Nak 7 times in the face for good luck.

Giffen really should be the EIC at DC. Then, maybe his stories and characters wouldn't get fucked around with so hard. I think this story puts the permanent kibosh on any future Giffen JLA-guys stories for a while too. The ID of the King of Checkmate is still a sick swerve though. Too bad someone's gotta die...

With the 38th pick in the 2nd the Oakland Raiders select: Barrett Ruud, ILB Nebraska. Height: 6'2" Weight: 248 40 Time: 4.68 Strenghts: Rudd causes havoc in the middle of the field, and has the ability to change the game and create turnovers. He has very good size and with the exception of his speed is the prototype ILB. He’s a good leader that will be called upon, as he’s the only linebacker that returned to the Huskers with significant experience. Weaknesses: Speed is a glaring weakness with Barrett’s game. He isn’t the fastest player on the field, but at the same time he isn’t the slowest. He does play well and uses angles to his advantage. Overall Analysis: Barrett Ruud is an excellent all-around player who appears to have everything it takes to develop into a solid NFL middle linebacker. Ruud was an immediate contributor as a true freshman at Nebraska, recording 49 tackles while serving in a backup role. He moved into the starting lineup as a sophomore, and recorded 149 tackles during his junior season. Rudd has been outstanding during his senior season, recording 134 tackles (17 tackles for loss) during his team’s first 10 games. Ruud has an excellent all-around package of skills for a middle linebacker. He has ideal size, speed and strength. He shows good range on the football field, can take on blockers and effectively work his way through traffic. And Ruud is not simply a run-stuffing middle linebacker; he also shows good awareness and instincts when playing in pass coverage. Ruud appeared carry a second round value when entering the 2004 season, but the top performance he has enjoyed as a senior may have earned him round one status.

We're on the same side CP. No really, we are. Effects in this sense is also the right word too. But yeah, Kobe's numbers have not dropped off since last season and none of the guys on the team have called for a mutiny to get Kobe kicked off the team. He's playing to his full potential and hasn't missed a beat since he was first charged with rape. He still sounds like a lil primadonna though. I mean, cripes, the brotha cried when Philly booed him at the All-Star game a couple seasons ago. Goddamn, that was pathetic to see. IT'S FUCKIN PHILLY!!! They hate everyone, themselves included. Yeesh, Kobe should have sacked up. His shit with Karl sounded like a gargantuan miscommunication problem though and I still believe that. It looked to me, based on everything I read, like Vanessa couldn't take a joke because Karl's line about hunting "lil Mexican girls" just came off as too absurd to be serious or a serious pick up line. I mean, he's got kids that are nearly her age and I'm sure he understands how volatile their reactions can be during the young adult years. The shit with Shaq and him was just egos clashing for supremacy and both guys look like they're super insecure about themselves. Yeah, they're *reeeeaaaallllly* going to hang out with each other after games if they're sniping one another in the fuckin *locker room* where team unity is stressed. Yeah right. Like they want to let the other rib them in public where the press can dog them in the sheets about it. Honestly, I'm still amazed that Kobe didn't just take games off when he had court on those days. Instead he flew from court to the arenas and only missed a handful of games. I thought for sure his numbers were going to take a dive off a cliff but they didn't (praise be to Jebus they haven't yet).

Yeah, being concerned about another person's well being and health does kinda make me feel dirty sometimes.

Yes, yes, YES!!! goddamnit, YES! Finally, FINALLY, someone understands! Finally, oh praise be to Jebus, yes, someone understands. Thank you. It was simple cause and effect. His actions did not just have an impact on his career and life. The fallout also had a negative effect on his team, which goes back to what I have been saying for the last several posts now. If a player's "questionable" actions, whatever they might be, don't end up hindering a team from playing to it's full potential then I don't have a problem with the player or what he does. Magic and Kobe's problems aren't even in the same stratosphere. Kobe, unlike Magic, was *luckily* able to get past his off-court problems and can continue to play ball. Magic, on the otherhand, was unfortunately unable to. I think Magic is a pretty stand up guy for all the community service help he has offered to city's over the years but he fucked up and it hurt him and his team. Had he been like retired, when he wasn't playing with the team, then I would have not held any grudge against him. But he was still playing with the team at the time he contracted HIV and his abrupt exit ended up hurting his team and his fans who still wanted to see him play for like another 10 years. Like me. I nearly broke into tears when I heard the news and feared that he was going to die in a year. I didn't have a damn clue about HIV or AIDS when I was 13 years old. Aside from my parents, he was the only other person I have ever considered a "hero" to me and all I wanted was for him to get better. It's a damn shame what happened to Magic Johnson. Have you ever heard of water therapy? It can work *wonders* for people who have hindered mobility. This was also the workout that Gary Vidi suggested to Shaq, when he started having problems with his feet and weight, and all he did was scoff at the notion.

What I can't understand is how you even made this ridiculous connection in the first place when I never did. Magic...contracting...AIDS...was...because...he...cheated...on...his..wife...wit h...some...dirty...hos. Because of this, he was forced to leave the Lakers abruptly. His absence left a huge void that did not get filled until Shaq and Kobe came along and started taking the Lakers to the NBA Finals once again. How is this not getting through though? I'm not the Morality Police and after re-reading my posts, I'm not even sure how the connection could even be made when I said *several* times how I could not care any less about what a player does off the field or court as long as it does not hinder their game or the team from playing well. ...I never said it should be nor am I condeming those that do cheat on their spouses. The toe injury became a nagging injury once Shaq's weight ballooned up. It wasn't a recurring injury before then.

Not even. That puff ripped *me* off with the wannabe English diatribe. Sorry, I just watched Eurotrip earlier. It wasn't half bad.

*sigh* You grow denser, and denser, and denser with each blithering post... Okay, this is the part of your post above I was responding to: Kobe didn't fold in any of the Finals last season since he got double and triple teamed during all of those games. He didn't even have a *chance* to fold in those games since he was being guarded like Fort Knox. Shaq? Of course any team with Shaq is going to rely on him to take them to the promise land. It's the same plan that the Heat currently have going with Shaq and it is working since he's in better shape now. I'll break...this...down...for...you... Slower. You brought up how fans should exonerate players if they get into outside trouble if they win a lot of games and bring home a couple of championships. I said "bullshit" because it could be anything. Extreme pothead dogging it in games? Bullshit. Getting suspended for a couple games for failing a drug test? Bullshit. Making a drug deal that nets some prison time to it and missing a season? Bullshit. Being arrested and missing games for hosting dog fights in your house? Bullshit. Being out of shape and not doing anything about it? Bullshit. It doesn't have to only involve rape or murder. They get paid to play ball and win. If the player is unable to do that for some bullshit type of reason(s), then I've got a problem, as a fan, with that. I was speaking hypothetically about Kobe's game lagging because of his court situation from last year causing his game to drop off in regards to a player's off-court problems having a negative effect on their game. IT NEVER HAPPENED That's why it was hypothetical you dolt. It *never* happened. Kobe's game did *not* trail off at all last season. He tuned all that shit out when he hit the court and he went to work and did his job without ever faltering or curling up into a ball. Ask for the rest of your pitiful attempt at deviating from the main points I made? Nah. I'm not even going to touch it. All you're doing now is back pedaling like mad in order to save a little dignity and face here after getting taken back to school. Let's seeeee, in the passing-the-buck-to-someone-else list, you brought up the following people: Me Gary Payton Karl Malone Bob Barron ...who have absolutely nothing to do with the points of contention between us. That's just *swell* that you agree with me on how useless Gary Payton was in the Finals. It's *wonderful* that you recognized how Karl Malone's knee injury didn't help the Lakers out in the Finals. I also think it's so *thoughtful* of you to think I'm "sensitive" about my weight when I'm really not and never said I was. But, boy oh boy, insinuating Bob Barron is a retard, by you, is probably one of the worst cases of the pot calling the kettle black that I've seen after having this nauseating merry-go-round suckfest with you. That's probably the biggest firkin insult I've seen thrown at someone on this board since Prince Paul got burned for his wife giving him hell for looking at cocks online. Barron should lay his pimp hand on you for even trying to drag his good name through the mud in this torrid discussion. Wanker. I see that you've also got the Tampa Bay Lightning logo in your avatar. Neato! But now, it's starting to make sense, this "debate" of the great minds... I get the feeling that you're a *huge* homer for Florida teams. All you've done is come up with excuse after lame excuse for Shaq's former fat ass problems while also dodging the ~OBVIOUS~ points that Mr. Magoo could even see. That or you're Shaq's bitch Shaunie incognito. The loads of garbage you've spewed in trying to cover up for the Big Aristotle's *glaring* flaws has left a wretched stench in this thread. I've grown ill now I think. One other thing too. Using the colored text that I used? It makes you look like a biter who is trying too hard to not look bad. Just stop while you're ahead. It's not cute. If you just fess up to never having watched last year's NBA Finals, where you said Kobe choked, and also trying to bemoan the fact that Shaq had an issue with his weight, then I'll stop right here with this post. Actually, you know what? Don't post. You'll only embarrass yourself more. I'll just take your silence as a good will gesture on your part and figure that you finally got a clue and stopped trying to be the Florida fanboy crusader protector for lazy fuck athletes in your area sector and call this whole thing off. I pwamise. Pinky swear. Learn some proper fuckin grammar too. Yourposts make my eyes watr. since theyre unplesent to reed. Plese.

No doubt. They're just a bad team right now. Something needs to happen.

Okay…one more time from the top. If you have to, say each letter out loud that I use in my words. Maybe then this will sink in if you think about it s...l...o...w...l...y and then it'll be ~OBVIOUS~ to even you, Captain, that we have a communication breakdown here. OF COURSE! I will reiterate this: IF THE PLAYER IN QUESTION DOES SOMETHING, ANYTHING, THAT HAS A NEGATIVE EFFECT ON THE WAY THEIR TEAM PLAYS THEN THEY ARE A PROBLEM. Magic fucked around, got HIV, and the next season after, the Lakers barely made it into the playoffs and the season after that they didn't even make it. Luckily, Nick Van Exel and Del Harris got hot with the team the following season after that messy one and all was right in the world again. But before that, the team was on a downward spiral because Magic, the team's main man, the go-to guy, the player who they RAN THE BALL THROUGH, was forced to leave *abruptly* and it caught the Lakers off guard. It was a sudden kick to the groin on what was an aging team that *depended* on Magic to help lead them to victory. ... I give up. This is totally irrelevant to the part of my post you quoted. I mean totally, absolutely, and completely spurious to this discussion. I wasn't even talking about an actual decrease in Kobe's game. It was a H-Y-P-O-T-H-E-T-I-C-A-L scenario that *luckily* did not come to pass since Kobe was still averaging a nice amount of points last season, when he was going back and forth to court and arenas, and *still* continued to be a crucial key to the Lakers success last season. Kobe helped the Lakers win the 3rd seed in the Western Conference last season when he made the *mother* of all clutch shots at Portland when it looked as though the Lakers were going lose the game. Go back and watch that game, it was Kobe at his best, coming through for the win. Right. Okay, now this is getting just downright absurd. You. are. a. retard. It might not be to you, since you're as freakin dense as a wall, but Shaq's overweight problem is relevant to me buddy boy. Shaq would have *never* been traded if he had gotten into the fighting shape he's in now. Never, without any questions. That's all the team wanted from him, aside from improving his deplorable free throw shot. He'd still be a Laker today and *maybe,* just maybe, him and Kobe would have had a better relationship if Kobe saw Shaq take the initiative to *improve* on his weight issues like he does with his game after the season ends. Shaq did *not* perform well in the '03 or '04 seasons since the Lakers lost in the post-season games that followed those seasons. Otherwise, the Lakers would have never lost if Shaq had carried his weight in those games against the Spurs and the Pistons, no pun intended. Instead, he gassed out and everyone else was forced to pick up the slack for *THE FORCE* on the team that helped make the Lakers go-go-go for 8 seasons. Shaq's atrocious FT shots in the Pistons series were disgusting to watch because if he had made at least 2/3's of those missed shots, along with getting fouled more and making *those* shots, then the Lakers could have possibly taken the series to 7 games instead of getting shutdown in 5. They could have made that much of a difference since Hack-a-Shaq was in full force during that series. Shaq was inept on the line. Kobe got doubled and tripled teamed the entire time and that should have given Shaq his opening to score. But the Big Diesel ran out of gas the past and it is bittersweet now for me to see him doing so well with the Heat when he could and *should* have done the same thing for the Lakers when they asked him to lose his unwarranted extra weight. 350 pounds, no matter how big or tall you are, is still a *lot* of weight for a pair of knees to hold up. I know, I'm 6'10" and when I weighed in at around 375 a couple years ago, I found that I wasn't able to run as fast as I could and I also saw myself getting more tired easily on just a casual walk down the beach. I was strong as an Ox, my weight being mainly all muscle, but that was just too much weight for my body to try and hold up and I work out every day whenever I can to keep my weight down. This is why I had such a vested interest in his weight issues over the years because I could understand why it wasn't good for him to carry all that excess weight and got to see first hand how badly the Big Daddy's game fell as the seasons went on and his weight just went up. I hope he drops down below 300 some day because he's not going to get any skinnier as he gets older unless he continues to work out and slim down, post playing career. A heart attack is imminent for him in the future if he doesn't slim down to at least his college days weight because all the extra weight is going to do is create more strain on what is probably already a stressed out heart that has worked overtime more than it should. I like Shaq but I think he is a lazy and insecure fool who rests more on his laurels than the desire to compete and improve upon his game, which Kobe does. That last line was not meant to be a jab at Shaq or an endorsement for Kobe as Husband of the Year or anything. It's a *fact* of the matter. The only reason I brought up Magic's name was to point out how foolish the absolution of a player for their mistakes is if their problems take a face on the court or on the field and fucks up a team's chemistry and flow, which Magic's out-of-nowhere departure did to the Lakers. But, one last time for the folks who missed my OBVIOUS point about your original post above, discussing this absolution matter. I could not care if they cheat, do drugs, beat up women and children, maim gays, or throw dog fights in their garages. I really don't. It is none of my business if players do any of those things. But if those things end up taking the player out of the game then I've got a problem with those things. If the person becomes a *cancer* to their team or hinders the team's success then I've got a problem with that player. Magic did it, Shaq did it, Todd Marinovich did it, someone who was a family friend, and so did Gary Payton who bitched and moaned about learning the Triangle Offense when he didn't even look at the playbook that Tex Winter had devised so that players could understand it. They hindered their team's success and it's why I had a problem with those guys. That's it. That's all. I pray to Jebus that this post gets my point across and also wises you up about HOW Shaq's weight issues managed to hinder the Lakers from achieving complete success during the past couple of seasons he was with the team. It might not be "relevant" to you but to Laker fans, it's still a fuckin travesty that things did not change for the better (Shaq getting into shape, helping Lakers win last championship, etc.). I mean, damn, you have to be one of the denser folks I've encountered in a Laker haters debate in a while. Amazing.

Via Zach over at PuroPower: Giant Bernard? Sounds like a dog's name. buffybeast has gotta be pleased with this news.

hahaha, d00d grlz dont watch f00tball~ CC's from Canadia too so that would possibly entice her even *less* to see what us barbarians are rambling about in this thread. The CFL shreds and all but it's still not the NFL.

Pull the trigger Maaaaaaatttt

Rumor mill: Raiders, possibly, send Charles Woodson to the Detroit Lions for Boss Bailey and a 1st round draft pick. #10 to be exact. Oh man, Big Matt the GM is a former Raider and I hope his ties to the dark side make this trade happen. Purty pleez.

I completelty agree with what Ripper said. Except this... h00kt on f0nex werkt 4 meeee Goddamn brother, that was some atrocious shit to read from what I thought was a great post. You hit the nail on the head there though. If Lamar becomes the central force on the team and his PPG goes up to like 20 + and his RPG gets jacked up to like 12 + a game, like what he was putting up with the Heat, then you *still* have Kobe waiting in the wings who is going to average anywhere from 28 - 30 + PPG on any given night if the pressure gets taken off him. Lamar should be the guy getting triple teamed all the time, not Kobe. Feed Lamar the damn ball and watch him and Kobe lights some teams up. The offense will also run a hell of a lot smoother if Kobe isn't trying to power the ball in while getting bum rushed all the time. RIPPER~! 4 coach

They're each interchangeable. I'm just being a homer about Fish. Chucky's a good guard who I hope becomes a stronger force with the Lakers next season. Kobe can't do everything by himself.

The Lakers were unable to re-sign Derek Fisher because the money they would have used to sign him went to Gary Payton who resigned with the team for a second year when he was (supposed to be anyways) with the team for one season. Had the Lakers traded GP sooner, Fish would still be around. The deal was an automatic $5 + mil that would have been enough to keep Fisher around. But instead, he signed with the Warriors for a ridiculous amount, like $36 mil for like 4 years or something. The team had no choice. Mitch Kupchak, who got supposedly cussed out after a game or two by GP, would have probably pulled the trigger on a GP dismissal in a heartbeat. I *really* wish Fish was still with the Lakers too VX. He'd be a welcomed improvement over Atkins who is just too inconsistent as a gunner.

WHOA WHOA WHOA!!!!!!!!!! How is Shaq occasionally getting fat and missing free throws even in the same ball park as Magic being an irresponsible jackass and getting HIV??? While I disagree with you even in Magic's case (you even say what happens off the court is their buisness) Are you saying their equal slime cause Shaq was in shape for Miami training camp? That is incredibly ludicrous. What buisness is it of yours anyway? Did Magic somehow ruin your childhood when he got AIDS and you found out he was a flawed individual? On the court the lakers werent that bad I mean they had a couple of off years until Del Harris ledthem back to respectability in 94. Back to the larger point at hand though instead of being on a high horse and demanding athletes have a high moral code be more appreciative of the good times they give you a sports fan. You dont have to like them as people you should like them as players moreso than you do. ... Right. Okay, I see that this is becoming complicated for you to understand. When I brought up Magic Johnson, I was responding to your asinine comment here, not comparing him to Shaq: Emphasized asinine point in bold. Sorry, I guess I'm just pointing out the obvious here. Unless I read this wrong, you are saying fans should exonerate players for their mistakes or problems if they win a lot of games. Check. But not entirely. Magic was the big force on the Lakers. But he was forced to leave the team because his off-court shenanigans finally caught up to him and it left the Lakers in a bad spot. It *is* none of my business to know about the questionable off-court activities of players. It was none of my business when the Magic scandal initially broke. I could not care if Kobe Bryant slept around on his wife. Same deal with Magic. That's their business. But when Kobe is charged with rape and facing possible jail time, that could have a potentially negative and *harmful* effect on his teammates and the fans that adore him as a player. Like me. I'm a fan and it's none of my business to know who's cheating on their wife in the NBA. But if the dude does get caught red handed and goes through divorce court hell and his game drops off the next season, then it becomes my business as a fan to know and *understand* why this nonsense is messing up the dude's game. Yeah, I'm really on my high horse here. Kobe can fuck around all he wants to because as long as he comes to work and does his job well then everything is cool. But if that shit comes back to bite him in the ass and it causes his game to suffer, then I'm going to have a problem with him. This last point you made also goes back to the, what I assume, was the asinine line I quoted above from an earlier post: Again, THANK YOU Captain Obvious. No shit Sherlock. I have all of the respect in the world for Kobe as a player because he busts his *ass* to improve his game. Did you know he never took the summer off like everyone else did after the Lakers won their championships? He took a week off after every time the Lakers won a championship and by the next week he was in the gym playing ball. By himself. No one else was there. Everyone else was still enjoying their leisure time off and rightfully so. But Kobe, he got back onto the court and worked on everything in his game that he thought could see some room for improvement. It's why Kobe isn't going to regress as a player anytime soon. If anything, he's only going to get better as the years go on. It's why Dr. Buss took a chance with Kobe over Shaq. Kobe tries to improve while Shaq was content with the way he was and it's why he never did try to improve on his weight issues. He didn't see it or else he didn't care. It's one or the other. For *that* tidbit, I will never ever call Kobe a slacker. If anything, he's an overachiever who wants to win. I still, still, still, can't believe how dense you are though. Shaq's weight issues aren't even in the same galaxy as Magic's infidelity and HIV problems. Not even by a damn *sight* are they close. I mean, wow.

Shaq acted like an ass. Kobe acted like an ass. Win or lose, they acted like ass's and no matter how many championships they helped the team win, that does not give them a free ride for acting like jerks. If it was off-court stuff, that's their business. But when Shaq makes less than 50% of his free throws in a game and the team loses by 3 whole points, then that is enough reason for concern from the front office and fans like myself. I'll give you an example. Magic Johnson helped the Lakers win 5 championships but after he came out and admitted he cheated on his wife Cookie and contracted AIDS in the process, I thought he was a slimey guy from that day on. That's the opinion I still hold about him today. He has done a *ton* of stuff for community's but he still cheated on his wife and left the Lakers in a tough spot after it looked as though he had another 10 years left in him. His off-court shennanagins disrupted the Lakers on-court activities and they did not recover until they, ironically, picked up Shaq from the Orlando Magic and got Phil Jackson to come out of retirement. You make it sound as if fans should exonerate players for their dickweed actions if they help a team win a couple championships. That should *never* be allowed to pass because if a player thinks that their fans will turn a blind eye to their one or two fuck-ups then the "I play SPORTS, do you know who I am?" mentality sets in and that's when little headaches can become big headaches in the future. Why should they stop? This is why I wouldn't be surprised to hear, if it's true, that Magic Johnson continues to cheat on Cookie because many Laker fans were all "awwww, we still love you for coming clean Magic." That's some bullshit right there I'll say.

That bit on the train unmasked was stretching the "escapism" road for me a tad too much. At least, that's the excuse I came up with...