MrRant

Expos Get Everett NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - The Montreal Expos (news) acquired all-star outfielder Carl Everett Monday, Major League Baseball's winter meetings ending in flurry of deals as teams engaged in some last-minute shopping before heading home. Faced with losing slugger Vladimir Guerrero to free agency, the Expos made a pre-emptive move to replace his bat, signing Everett to a two-year deal worth a reported $7 million. "By signing a player of Carl Everett's stature, we have added a much needed power bat to the middle of our lineup," said Montreal general manager Omar Minaya. "We look forward to having Carl in Montreal. His bat will help us replace the loss of Guerrero." Everett split last season between the Chicago White Sox (news) and Texas Rangers (news) hitting .287 with 28 homers and 92 RBIs. A two-time American League (news) all-star (2002 and 2003), Everett is one of the Major League's most explosive hitters and volatile personalities. In an 11-year career that included stints with the Florida Marlins (news), New York Mets (news), Houston Astros (news) and Boston Red Sox (news) as well as the Rangers and White Sox, Everett has .278 with 161 homeruns, 637 RBIs and 101 stolen bases. But he his career is also been marked by a series of altercations with managers, umpires and the media earning the reputation as difficult and disruptive presence in the locker room. "Most of the teams we've talked to spoke highly of him," said Minaya. "They liked his work ethic and felt he was a great team mate." Phillies Add Reliever Roberto Hernandez NEW ORLEANS - The Philadelphia Phillies (news) agreed with free agent Roberto Hernandez on a one-year contract Monday, adding yet another reliever to their rebuilt bullpen. Hernandez must pass a physical, expected to be taken Wednesday, before the deal is finalized. The contract guarantees him $750,000, with bonuses based on performance. The Phillies have already added All-Star closer Billy Wagner in a trade with Houston and signed free agent Tim Worrell this offseason. "They had strong arms last year. They got stronger with Wagner and Worrell. Hopefully I can get my two cents in with this bullpen, not just with performance but experience," Hernandez said. Hernandez, 39, ranks ninth on the career saves list with 320. But he did not have any as a right-handed setup man for the Atlanta Braves (news) last season, when he was 5-3 with a 4.35 ERA. He walked 43 and struck out 45 in 60 innings. Hernandez said uneven use contributed to his problems. "Funny things happen when you lose your groove," he said. "I lost my release points, my snap on my split and my slider." Along with Wagner and Worrell, Hernandez will join lefty Rheal Cormier in relief. The Phillies cut loose relievers Jose Mesa, Terry Adams, Turk Wendell and Mike Williams after the season ended, and Dan Plesac said he was retiring. "There isn't one guy I'd be afraid to go to. It's a veteran bullpen that's been through the wars," manager Larry Bowa said. Hernandez made his major league debut with the Chicago White Sox (news) in 1991 — the only season in which he had not recorded a save until 2003. Hernandez had 43 saves for Tampa Bay in 1999. The two-time All-Star also has pitched for San Francisco and Kansas City. He is 53-54 with a 3.30 ERA lifetime. The Phillies, who faded in the wild-card race in late September, had trouble finding a closer last season. They filled that need by trading for Wagner, who had 44 saves. Worrell also was a closer last season in San Francisco after Robb Nen had season-ending shoulder surgery in May. Worrell had 38 saves for the Giants. Hernandez said he was fine with any role the Phillies had for him. He said he enjoyed setting up Braves relief ace John Smoltz last season. "I'm not looking to close at any cost," he said. Hernandez began thinking about the Phillies when Atlanta visited Philadelphia during the final weekend of the season. At the Braves' hotel, Hernandez ran into former minor league teammate Ruben Amaro Jr., now the Phillies' assistant general manager. "We talked at the hotel bar about the possibilities," Hernandez said. "I didn't know my situation in Atlanta. Amaro was glad to add Hernandez. "We are pleased to have another quality arm for our bullpen," he said. "He has had tremendous success on the back end of the bullpen, and will add to what we already consider a strength for our team." Cardinals Reach Deal With Suppan By BEN WALKER, AP Baseball Writer NEW ORLEANS - Free agent Jeff Suppan and St. Louis agreed Monday to a two-year contract, The Associated Press learned, giving the Cardinals a much-needed pitcher for their depleted rotation. The $6 million deal was finalized after Suppan took a physical, a baseball source familiar with the negotiations told the AP on the condition of anonymity. Suppan, 29 next month, went 13-11 with a 4.19 ERA for Pittsburgh and Boston. The right-hander has pitched at least 200 innings for five straight years, and a durable starter is exactly what the Cardinals needed. St. Louis faded late last season, finishing three games behind the Chicago Cubs (news) in the NL Central. The Cardinals made it through the year despite a patchwork rotation, with ace Matt Morris continuing to battle injuries. Since the season ended, the Cardinals have parted ways with starters Garrett Stephenson, Brett Tomko and Sterling Hitchcock. Woody Williams and Morris are the only full-time regulars remaining from the rotation. The Cardinals also have spot starter Jason Simontacchi and Dan Haren, who made 14 starts as a rookie. Suppan is 62-75 with a 4.90 ERA for the Red Sox, Arizona, Kansas City and Pittsburgh. He was traded from the Pirates to Boston last July 31. At the time, Suppan had won five straight decisions for Pittsburgh, including a pair of shutouts. With the Red Sox, he went 3-4 and made 10 starts. He was left off the roster for Boston's first-round AL playoff series against Oakland and then added for the AL championship series, but did not pitch in the seven-game loss to the New York Yankees (news). He became a free agent after the season and Boston did not offer him salary arbitration, meaning he could not have re-signed until May 1. The Red Sox had declined a $4 million option, choosing to pay a $500,000 buyout. Suppan made his major league debut with Boston in 1995 at age 20. He spent all but 13 games of his career in the AL before signing with the Pirates for the 2003 season.

M's Cut Deal With Spiezio, Trade Colbrunn By RONALD BLUM, AP Sports Writer NEW ORLEANS - The Seattle Mariners (news) reached a preliminary agreement on a three-year contract with first baseman Scott Spiezio and acquired outfielder Quinton McCracken from the Arizona Diamondbacks (news) for infielder Greg Colbrunn on Monday. Spiezio, 31, was a key player in Anaheim's 2002 World Series (news - web sites) victory. He hit .265 with 16 homers and 83 RBIs that season. His deal cannot be finalized until he passes a physical. While there was no announcement by the Mariners, the agreement was confirmed by a baseball source who spoke on the condition of anonymity. In addition to reacquiring Colbrunn, Arizona agreed to an $800,000, one-year contract with catcher Brent Mayne. McCracken, a 33-year-old switch-hitter, batted .227 with no homers and 18 RBIs in 203 at-bats last season, appearing in 115 games but making just 39 starts. He has a .280 career average in nine seasons with Colorado (1995-97), Tampa Bay (1998-2000), Minnesota (2001) and Arizona (2002-03). "I had Q in Arizona in 2002, and I know what kind of player he is," Mariners manager Bob Melvin said. "I think he's a great fit for our club and our clubhouse." Colbrunn, 34, played for the Diamondbacks from 1999-2002 and was injured for most of last season. He played in 22 games, batting .276 with three homers and seven RBIs in 58 at-bats. Colbrunn was on the disabled list from June 16-27 because of a strained right oblique muscle and from July 3 to the end of the season because of torn cartilage in his right wrist. Mayne, 35, spent the past 2 1/2 years with Kansas City and hit .245 last season with six homers and 36 RBIs. He also has played for the New York Mets (news), Oakland, San Francisco and Colorado, compiling a .268 career average. Colorado Swaps Pitchers With Seattle NEW ORLEANS - The Colorado Rockies (news) traded Chris Buglovsky to the Seattle Mariners (news) on Monday for Allan Simpson in a swap of right-handed pitchers. Buglovsky, 24, went 10-10 last season with a 4.83 ERA for Double-A Tulsa. Simpson, 26, spent the year with Triple-A Tacoma, finishing 2-5 with one save and a 4.16 ERA in 43 relief appearances. Also Monday, Colorado waived outfielder Luke Allen and infielder Pablo Ozuna, making room for infielder Luis Gonzalez and lefty Matt White, who were both selected in the winter meeting draft of players not protected on 40-man rosters. In addition, the Rockies acquired right-hander Sandy Nin from Toronto to complete Sunday's three-team trade that sent left-hander Mark Hendrickson from Toronto to the Devil Rays, left-hander Joe Kennedy from Tampa Bay to the Rockies and right-hander Justin Speier from Colorado to the Blue Jays. Nin was 7-8 with a 2.89 ERA in 23 starts for Class A Charleston last season and 0-1 in one start for Double-A New Haven.

Only thing I see wrong is how long it had to take you to type that out.

By Solarina Ho TORONTO (Reuters) - The camera cell phone, one of the hottest items on this year's Christmas gift list, is a growing privacy issue for both consumers and organizations. The phones, with their discreet lens, tiny size and ability to immediately transmit images onto the Internet or other cell phones, are a voyeur's dream. The phones first appeared on the market in early 2001, and for the last several months, media reports out of Asia have called attention to incidents such as nude photographs of unsuspecting victims turning up on the Internet. Their growing popularity in North America since their debut late last year has sparked similar concerns, prompting fitness centers across North America, from Los Angeles to Toronto, to begin banning or limiting cell phone use on their premises. With locations including Beverly Hills and New York, The Sports Club/LA -- one of the most luxurious fitness centers in the world -- was among the first to ban all cell phones in July, limiting their usage only to the lobby. Privacy is a priority for the center, whose high profile clientele include celebrities and other prominent figures, company spokesman Rebecca Harris explained. Other clubs have outright banned all cell phones because of the difficulty in distinguishing between regular cell phones and camera phones. But not all clubs are taking such a hard-line stance. In Calgary, where widespread bans and limitations drew media attention in Canada, the YWCA took a more moderate approach. COMMON CONCERNS IN CLUBS "Essentially we're basing it on the honor system, because we're not going to ask every single person who walks into the door, 'Do you have a camera cell phone?' and 'You need to check it,"' general manager Jan Bloemraad said. The clubs know that members rely on their phones to stay in contact with children or work, and to ban them outright would not be in the members' best interest. But clubs are keeping a close eye on what goes on in their gyms and say that members are happy they are taking action. At a number of gyms, it was recent inquiries by the media that prompted them to consider the issue, rather than any particular incident. "Certainly the media attention required us to be a little more forward in our approach," Jack Kinch, YMCA spokesman for the seven Greater Toronto Area centers, said. Concerns over camera phones have also seeped into businesses as companies fear corporate espionage. South Korea (news - web sites)-based Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics have reportedly banned visitors from carrying camera phones, according to South Korean domestic media. Concerns raised by the camera phones are unlikely to go away as technology improves and sales jump. The next generation of phones making their way onto Asian markets and trickling into North America are video cell phones, which have the ability to record 15 to 30 second clips. In North America, analysts project that camera phone sales will more than double next year, while the overall cell phone market will only see a small increase. Of the 90 million handsets sold in North America this year, camera phones made up 3.3 percent, or three million units. That's out of the 65 million camera phones sold worldwide, according to David Kerr, an executive with Strategy Analytics, a Boston-based consulting firm. South Korea, which has one of the world's highest concentrations of cell phone users, is already drafting regulations to protect consumer privacy. Beginning next year, new camera phones will be required to emit a loud sound whenever pictures or videos are taken. Still, the banning strategy may be an uphill fight, particularly with cameras and videos expected to be standard in half the cell phones available by 2008. "The evolution, the penetration, the spread of digital capture capabilities in phones is going to be so fast, so wide that it might be a losing battle ultimately," said analyst Alex Slawsby of IDC, a leading technology industry analysis firm.

How the fuck is Orton a hoss? He isn't that big.

They can have someone win both titles at WM but not "unify them". Say Brock wins them both and can float inbetween shows and put just his World Title on the line to Jericho and if Jericho wins then he gets just the RAW belt and that's it while Brock retains the SD belt. Perhaps he does put both on the line and Jericho wins then he floats but if he loses the SD one then he goes back to RAW. My only rule would be they would have to defend either both belts or only the belt of the show. So that you can't have Jericho (RAW) defend the SD belt against Booker T. Unless that would make them automatically a SD wrestler. Perhaps at Summerslam you do it again. Just an idea.

"Carnivale" will reopen its tent next year on HBO. Sources said the premium cable network has greenlighted a second season for the primetime series, ordering 13 more episodes. Production is expected to begin in the spring in anticipation of returning the Depression-era drama to air sometime in late 2004. Created by Daniel Knauf, "Carnivale" completed its 13-episode rookie season earlier this month with an episode drawing 3.5 million total viewers, just under its season average. While HBO's more established series such as "The Sopranos" and "Sex and the City" attract much bigger audiences, "Carnivale" earned a respectable viewership on par with another of its critically acclaimed dramas, "The Wire." The series appeared to hit a ratings trough early against stiff competition on the broadcast networks but surged in the latter half of its run even as its lead-out, the faux-reality series "K Street," faltered. Launched simultaneously with "Carnivale," "Street" will not return for a second season. "Carnivale" is executive produced by Knauf and Howard Klein. Knauf is repped by Agency for the Performing Arts' Marc Pariser. (Andrew Wallenstein) http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/telev...tent_id=2050845

Last of the Mohicans. This movie ownz.

I may pick up Spinal Tap, Resovoir Dogs and either Terminator or the Princess Bride.

Well then you don't understand I guess. I'll leave it at that.

[off topic]I just want to say that I think you should change your name to Lightning Elk.[/off topic] I usually play a few games and see what develops and then hit the FA wire.

Umm... usually they say that "Christ forgives you". Not "I pastor McCrary forgives your sin."

Matter of fact I did know many when I was in Las Vegas. Not anything special.

I'm still planning on movie back to Las Vegas. Whether the SO goes or not is up to her.

Well it's becoming kindof a moot point IMO since most companies DO offer benefits to same-sex domestic partners now. You can name anyone beneficiaries to life insurance etc.

Why is there no "I don't care either way" option?

Mission Impossible - Widescreen Bad Boys - Widescreen, Special Edition The Terminator - Widescreen, Special Edition Fight Club - Widescreen, Special Edition XXX - Widescreen, Special Edition or Pan & Scan, Special Edition Reservoir Dogs - 10th Anniversary Edition, Widescreen Young Guns - Widescreen, Special Edition Die Another Day - Widescreen, Special Edition or Pan & Scan, Special Edition Tears of the Sun - Widescreen, Special Edition This is Spinal Tap - Widescreen, Special Edition The Usual Suspects - Widescreen, Special Edition Barbershop - Widescreen, Special Edition Sleepless In Seattle - Widescreen Moulin Rouge - Widescreen On Golden Pond - Widescreen, Special Edition Runaway Bride - Widescreen, Special Edition My Best Friend's Wedding - Widescreen, Special Edition Pretty In Pink - Widescreen Footloose - Widescreen Steel Magnolias - Widescreen, Special Edition Ice Age - Widescreen Stuart Little - Widescreen Stuart Little 2 - Widescreen The Sound Of Music - Widescreen, Special Edition Fiddler On The Roof - Widescreen, Special Edition Blue's Clues: Blue's First Holiday - Fullscreen The Mask Of Zorro - Superbit, Widescreen Labyrinth - Widescreen The Princess Bride - Widescreen, Special Edition Legally Blonde - Widescreen Good stocking stuffers.

How many parties do we need? I get tired after about 2.

Stop saying Ghey.

Modern REAL Goths - Pussies Modern FAKE Goths - Pussies

Luckily this doesn't curtail my plans to become a dictator in a small former Eastern Bloc country.

Yippie.... Free Ultimate Ric Flair Collection DVD. Thank you WWE. Last month was the Bloodbath one... I wonder what next month will be.

Aren't they basically the same thing? No. Hippies are dirty, lazy, unworking slugs that serve no use. Tree-huggers are GreenPeace, PETA and their ilk that believe an animal/vegetable/forest is above human life and perform terrorist actions against humans such as spiking trees or setting fire to buildings. My uncle and his friend (who I met a few times) was killed when the saw when hit the spike and shattered metal pierced his body. These people I would off without a care in the world. Edit: Watch the Penn & Teller: Bullshit episode that will be on this week on Showtime about GreenPeace etc and they even interview the founder. You will get plenty of insight.

It's called "Winter Break" now. I really am beginning to want to kill ever PC motherfucker in the world. Right after I'm done with the hippies and tree-huggers.

I'm sorry but Banky wins "Neediest Poster of the Year" by default.