The Czech Republic

Yeah, I can't stand dumbing down the Bible to the most simple vernacular. I still have the King James Version, and these guys are like "So Moses says 'alright guys, can I have your attention for a sec? Guys? Guys? Yeah, up here. Okay thanks. I just got done talking to God and he gave me this list he wanted me to read off for you guys. Now they're written in stone, so I think he's pretty confident that this is what he wanted to say." And it doesn't even LOOK like a church. It's a cross between a doctor's office, junior college, and clubhouse at a golf course. It's way back off of Barrington Rd., where there are acres of parking lots with men in suits directing the heavy traffic. Ironically, the parking facilitators are the best dressed people on the grounds, because Sunday best can just be a t-shirt and shorts in June. I just think it's weird.

For the uninitiated, Willow Creek Community Church is a thing that creeps me out. Maybe you know of it, maybe you don't. If you're a religious student formal or casual you may have done some reading on it or similar models. If you're from greater Chicago, you're certainly aware. In a nutshell, it's basically as casual and commercial as Christianity can be. Closed-circuit TVs in the lobbies, coffee shops, stores selling sermons, and giant auditoriums for the congregation of thousands. It's mall-culture Jesus, conveniently about 10 minutes north of Woodfield. Willow Creek: even the name says, "is that a mall?" http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/nrms/superch.html A good article that explains anything better than I can.

I'm Adonal Foyle

Careful now: Flames/Bolts Game 7 was incredibly sloppy to me and others with whom I watched the game.

Tell her that winning the lottery disqualifies her from Social Security.

I'd say that despite Walter Payton's records being broken, he's still one of the three best running backs in history with Jim Brown and Emmitt Smith. If you want to put Emmitt or Brown higher, or even O.J., I think you can make a strong case, by all means. But you can't say that Payton wasn't even the best player in his era, that's poppycock.

William Regal, his brother must've been that queer dude.

Shocking and sad news here. I loved Law & Order when Jerry Orbach was on the show. He just had such an awesome character. I liked the early years when you had Orbach, Chris Noth, Dann Florek, Michael Moriarty, Richard Brooks, and Steven Hill, because I think Briscoe played off Logan the best. I didn't know he was suffering this badly, and it's a shame to see him go at just 69. I'll miss his work.

Categorically wrong on the first two counts. Led Zeppelin did too much musically, influentially, and pharmacologically to be just average. Radiohead can't be average because they're fucking annoying in a distinctly unique way. With you on Nickelback though

I think if a Canadian team brought the Cup back home for the first time since the '93 Habs, ESPN would care more.

Possible, not probable. Anything's possible, within reason. I could possibly be a successful writer married to the girl of my dreams, but I probably won't. There's not enough proof to say he probably took steroids and died from them other than "he played football in the 70s and 80s" which is good enough for some but not most.

Well, I guess at least you were lucid enough at the time to make that observation, I should give you points for that much.

Well excuse me for not critically reading "Inca's Birthday Party."

How's the movie? Ihave the soundtrack for it, and I like it.

Reary reary gleat!

Just give the award to 2004.

FUCKING HOUSTON is a possibility and we're not. What a world.

Why not "Cesar Romero"? Oh and the "this gets me closer to football" line bugged me. What happened to this being the pinnacle? Why can't they find an announcer who wants to call a match for the sake of calling a match? It shouldn't be a stepping stone for greater things, it should be the greatest thing. Otherwise, chances are you're going to suck at your job. And as recent signings have proven, this is absolutely the case. Besides, how impressive is "WWE announcer" on a resume', anyway? I don't see Michael Cole departing for greener pastures, it hasn't gotten Jim Ross on Monday Night Football, Coach/Leary/Loyd.Snow/Grisham all of them, I haven' seen one leave WWE for something "better." I sure wish I did, though, because they're shitty at being wrestling announcers. Blame the in-ring product they have to work with, blame the Vince/JR in their headset telling them to shill the PPV as the match flies by, blame chief producer Kevin Dunn who feels an important quality for what's basically voice-over work is looking handsome. But mostly, blame the fact that they're not qualified.

So those Russo-esque, Mr. America-like contracts where the wrestler can't be fired actually exist? Yep, and they don't have to see them wrestle prior to signing, either! But seriously, I think that if they were to release him, they would still have to pay most or all of his contract, plus the possibility of lawsuits for wrongful termination, so the WWF just never bothered with that can of worms and kept him on.

Hey guys, take it to Graphics & Testing Grounds

Maybe I'm just buying into the Beltran hype. But Sosa is bad for morale, nobody wants to see him around, he's injury-prone, and he's declining steadily and quickly. I worry about that, despite our strong Patterson-Walker-Nomar-Lee-Ramirez-Barrett lineup. If he stays in shape, doesn't let his ego get in the way, and doesn't tear a trapezius scratching his ass, then Sosa is fine. But as it stands, he's a liability in my eyes, with Kyle Farnsworth not far behind. Would Beltran be good? Absolutely. He's a classic five-tool player who dominated at Wrigley Field. He's no panacea, but right now, he's a giant leap in the right direction, which is not having to fly the Cardinals' and Astros' flags above our own at Clark & Addison. I'd certainly welcome him. If he wants to come play on a competitive team with some of the the best fans around, at the greatest ballpark in America, then there's a Cubs jersey with his name on it. But if he's just going to stay in Houston, where a Little Leaguer could hit a homer to left, more power to him, I guess. And if he's going to whore himself out to the extreme for the New York Yankees, that's his decision. Or his notoriously greedy agent's.

Wait, there are Christian lawyers? (ducks)

Did Martz refer to himself in the third-person, or is that just phrased weird? I really really hope he did.

Tampa Bay Devil Rays should get him...BAY-BEE!

I don't get why we can't sign Beltran and dump Sosa later. It's not like we have to pay all of their contracts the day they sign them.