Dr. Tom

Oooh, can I guess? Probably because you have been before.

I'm going with five friends to the midnight showing. Another friend of mine is bringing about a dozen of her friends to the same showing. It will totally be teh r0x0r. It's worth going into work late the next day.

I have no problems with players doing theatrical, even premeditated, end-zone celebrations. I think Joe Horn was stupid because he penalized his team 15 yards in a close game (and only the Giants' ineptitude prevented them from capitalizing), and arrogant because he didn't do it after his first TD of the day. But if someone wants to celebrate like that, let them. If teams are so bent about it, keep the chap out of the end zone. It's the same argument I make about "running up the score:" if you don't want to give up points, stop the other team. Maybe if the NFL didn't fine players for wearing the towels an inch too long, then those players wouldn't feel the need to rebel with such a display.

Perhaps if that were the case, that claim may be justified.

As if there were any doubt, I am SO there when this opens.

Congratulations, Jason White. You now join the elite ranks of Andre Ware, Charlie Ward, and Gino Toretta. Did White have a great season? Of course. But the similarity he has to the above three players (besides the fact that all won the Heisman), is that they're all system QBs. OU has installed a pass-happy offense and has a ridiculous talent base, so of course they're going to put up gaudy numbers. Factor in a schedule peppered with cupcakes, and it's easy to see why the stats get to the levels they do. When KSU was owning Oklahoma, Stoops refused to abandon the pass-wacky gameplan, despite the fact that it obviously wasn't working. A team with a real defense came in and shut the system down, and its QB along with it. That's not to say White didn't have a great year; he certainly did. But was he the best player in the country? I don't think so, but I don't have a Heisman vote.

I don't think Gibbons is a cleanup hitter, at least not in that lineup. I'd stack them up this way: 2B Roberts/Hairston 3B Mora SS Tejada RF Guerrero C IRod 1B Gibbons DH Cust/Cordova LF Bigbie CF Matos If Mora sucks (and let's face it, he's not going to hit .330 again, though he should be able to find some success with Rejada, Vlad, and I-Rod behind him), then I-Rod can move into the #2 hole, Mora goes to 9th, and everyone else slides up one spot. Tejada has hit .319 at Camden Yards since 2001, so he makes a pretty good 3-hole hitter. The pitching staff is what scares me. Going out and getting all these hitters is great, but if we don't have the pitching, we still finish 4th. Ponson would be nice to bring back, and I guess he'd become the ace by default. I'm not sold on Rodrigo Lopez AT ALL, nor on the collection of Kurt Ainsworth, Eric Dubose, and Matt Riley behind him. THe O's have a young pitching staff, and that's the reason I'd rather get I-Rod than Javy Lopez: you don't need your pitchers getting demoralized because they gave up stolen bases. Rodriguez keeps the running game in check, which will help the younger pitchers.

Here's my hunch: The Yankees will not win the World Series this coming year. Here's why: Earl Weaver's basic formula for success was simple -- pitching, defense, and the three-run homer. THe Yankees have the pitching, and they can certainly hit the homers. Defense? Not so good. Here's how they stack up: C- Posada: nothing wrong here 1B- Giambi: monument of shit 2B- Soriano: poor SS- Jeter: VERY overrated, average defensive player 3B- Boone: Their best infield defensive player LF- Matsui: Good, but not a lot of speed CF- Williams: Good, but aging and losing range CF2- Lofton: See Williams RF- SHeffield: Good, but not a lot of speed, and not getting any younger So their infield defense is pretty awful, and while their outfielders are solid defensively, they're not going to run down too many balls in the gaps. This poor defense is what has doomed the Yankees the past two postseasons: they played teams that put the ball in play a lot, and their crappy defense got exposed. They've done NOTHING to address that deficiency in the offseason. I hope Kevin Brown's salary is worth that 13-14 record.

The Orioles could easily land I-Rod and Vlad still. Vlad and Tejada have the same agent, and since he just completed a successful round of negotiation with the Birds, he'll be receptive to their offers. Signing I-Rod first would give the team another Latin player, which Vlad apparently considers a priority. Adding those 3 would be a tremendous boost to the offense. Pitching is still a concern, though. Rodrigo Lopez is the default #1, and he's been getting lit up like a cheap Roman candle in winter ball. If they have to trade Roberts or Hairston for an arm, I'd prefer to see Hairston go. I get a prima donna vibe from him I don't get from Roberts.

To me, marriage is a social institution, not a religious one, and the only reason to keep same-sex couples from marrying is religious bias. If calling them "civil unions" is what works, then so much the better, but since I couldn't care less who people boink at night, just let them marry and be done with it.

I just find it ironically funny and totally fitting that the Yankees signed Mike Mussina because the Orioles low-balled him until the last minute and made him feel like he wasn't a priority, then lost Andy Pettitte to the Astros because they low-balled him until the last minute and made him feel like he wasn't a priority. Karma's gonna get you, George.

False. This is what the Chronicle reported: The link

Gah. The EXACT same games? Oh well... come on, 34 points!

I just wanted to show that the reaction that was predicted from the left -- basically, "OMG WHERE IS BIN LADEN~!??!!? TEH PREZIDENT IS TEH SUX0RZ LOL2K3~!!!!!1!!!1!!1!" -- is the one that we're actually getting. Like I said, it's nothing unexpected, but it might get some more discussion going here, so I used it. BTW, Eric's not a moron. I disagree with almost everything he says politically, but he's no fool.

And for the far left point of view, we now turn you over to Eric Szulczewski's BlackLog at 411: The link Nothing unexpected.

No, the fact of the matter is that you can't fight a war without people dying. Somewhere along the way, Americans seem to have gotten the impression that one soldier killed is too many, and we shouldn't be doing whatever we're doing, and OMG bring the boys back home. Rubbish. As a civilian working for the Army, I'm saddened by the death of every American and allied soldier. But just because we've had 1, 5, 50, or 441 deaths doesn't mean what we're doing isn't just and necessary, and it doesn't mean we need to pull out and bring everyone home.

We have no problem with "opposing views" here. This board is a good mix of liberals and conservatives, and we all get plenty of exposure to how "the other side" thinks. But when you post moronic rhetoric like your first post in this thread, expect people to call you on it. It doesn't matter if you're liberal, conservative, or somewhere in-between: if you sound like a cretin, someone is going to call you one.

What do you do if you're locked in a cage with two hungry tigers and a lawyer, and you have only 2 bullets in your gun? Shoot the lawyer twice.

You aren't allowed to drink alcohol again. Ever. I would've revoked his privileges for haterizing on tequila like that. One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor...

Exactly. The NBA is almost unwatchable to me now. There are too many teenaged prima donnas running around, pounding their own chests and hogging the ball while displaying no real knack for the game outside of SportsCenter highlights. Ooooh, you can dunk. I'm impressed. How about making an accurate pass when surrounded by three defenders, or actually not traveling while running down the lane? The lack of fundamentals has severely diluted the NBA's product. I love the NFL and I would HATE to see them go the same route. In other words, fuck Maurice Clarett.

To paraphrase TMQ (now available on NFL.com, for those who didn't know), perhaps the Heisman should be renamed the "Football Factory Quarterback, Running Back, or Receiver Who Got The Most Hype" Trophy.

RAVENS~!: 34 points Atlanta at Indianapolis Buffalo at Tennessee Detroit at Kansas City Houston at Tampa Bay Jacksonville at New England Minnesota at Chicago Pittsburgh at N.Y. Jets Seattle at St. Louis San Francisco at Cincinnati Baltimore at Oakland (LOCK this bitch up) Cleveland at Denver Carolina at Arizona Dallas at Washington Green Bay at San Diego N.Y. Giants at New Orleans Philadelphia at Miami Colonel KKK, I really hope the fact that I'm now playing an 11-2 team while you get a 3-10 team doesn't have anything to do with the fact that you're right behind me in the divisional standings...

It does, and for some reason, I managed to leave that out of the explanation.

Perhaps after he actually commits some?

I'll host the awards show. Unless a better host can be found, which means I'll be hosting the awards show.