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Since baseball attendance is down in the country where it is its national pastime, Bud Selig's thinking that the next natural step is to try it out in a country where they hardly even know what baseball is. What a fucking moron. http://espn.go.com/mlb/news/2003/0429/1546569.html Baseball considering stop in Rome in 2004 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Associated Press ROME -- Major League Baseball's field consultant inspected Olympic Stadium on Tuesday to help determine whether the facility could be used for regular-season games next year. Olympic Stadium, the home of AS Roma and Lazio, is an oval configured to seat 80,000 for soccer and track and field. It likely would need work to be made ready for baseball. "This is the first visit in Europe," said Dan Bonanno, MLB's representative in Italy. "We're just getting some ideas, nothing concrete." Some officials in the commissioner's office have looked at the weekend before the 2004 All-Star Game as potential dates for games in Europe. Nothing has been decided. Murray Cook, a consultant used by the commissioner's office, took measurements at Olympic Stadium, used for the 1960 Olympics and the 1990 World Cup final. Cook helped prepare Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico, for the Montreal Expos and Estadio Foro Sol in Mexico City for spring training games this year between Los Angeles and the New York Mets. "We were there today looking at all the options, doing all the calculations, checking all the logistics to see if it can be modified," Bonanno said. While there is a professional league in Italy, the sport is largely unknown to locals. Asked about fan interest, Bonanno said: "We're doing some market research. That's another big point." Paul Archey, a senior vice president of Major League Baseball International, last month called Italy the "front-runner" for the first major league games in Europe. While Florence and Palermo have baseball facilities, the commissioner's office would prefer to play in the capital, where games would create more of a buzz. "Rome is a major city," Bonanno said. "It has good transport links from the airport and is easily reachable from New York." Baseball has been aggressively expanding its presence outside the United States and Canada, playing season openers in Monterrey, Mexico (1999), Tokyo (2000) and San Juan, Puerto Rico (2001). The Montreal Expos are playing 22 "home" games this season in San Juan, and the New York Yankees may open the 2004 season in Japan. In November, Mets catcher Mike Piazza took some practice swings outside the Colosseum as part of a promotional appearance. Bonanno helped organize a baseball clinic for children in Rome led by Piazza, who is of Italian descent.

That's if they don't fold the league after this season which is a possibility.

I didn't vote because it doesn't really effect me either way but I do like to have a post count just to see how many I've posted but I could carless what it means in terms of my stature on a freakin message board. If you need a high number of posts on a wrestling message board to somehow validate yourself then you have serious emotional problems.

I scored an 11. I took a similar quiz in my high school civics class, which would have been six years ago, with the only difference in the quiz being that the scoring was reversed and I scored a 32 on that one which would equal on 8 on this one. So I'm a little less liberal than I used to be which I pretty much knew but still pretty damn liberal.

HA! Just wait till Scotty Too Hotty gets back which is apparantly is that far off as he'll be going to OVW soon.

I have or had these clips off of Kazaa: Benoit/Jericho vs. HHH/Austin tag title match TLC3 Hart/Austin WM13 End of Hart/HBK SS97 Booker T/Benoit final match of best of "seven" Makind/Taker Hell in the Cell Jericho/Misterio Souled Out 98 May favorite clip though that I've downloaded off of Kazaa is definently the debut of Jericho on Raw...just awesome.

Just saw a different spoiler report where the guy took down match times. The only match he didn't have a time for the Benoit/Rhyno vs. FBI tag match (splooged his pants when Benoit came out?), at any rate the women's tag match gets almost as much time as the Guerreros/Mattitude match and the longest match of the night was the Velocity match between A-Train and DeMott. Those poor people in New Hampshire.

Damn, we might actually get to hear Real American on the WWE since like forever? Yup its been a whole...ten months. Jeez just go download it off Kazaa or better yet go watch Wrestlemania III, V, or VI.

I hope the name change also equals a change in character as well because Kendrick's bouncing babyface routine is just so annoying and honestly I've been unimpressed by him in the ring so far. Don't quite see the big deal about him to this point. Oh and as for Team Angle, neither is a great singles wrestler at this point (Benjamin is good and could be great one day) but as a tag team they work great and they certainly don't suck.

Now it has no effect on me since I don't live in Canada but considering TSN has cut out the white boy challenge both weeks I wonder if they'll cut anything involving Tenacious Z? Just a thought and maybe anyone who lives in Canada could field that question.

Hmmm maybe to fight off Tenacious Z, Teddy Long can bring in Willis McGahee as a one-kneed wrestler.

Hmm sort of a Blue Blazer rehash and possibly later Sting coming to the WWE....let's hope Vince resists the urge to have them propel from the ceiling. I also get a vision of Fake Mr. America's vs. Fake Sting's dancing in my head...okay now my head hurts. Oh and my official statement on the whole Mr. America thing is if it were a midcard angle I'd have zero problem with it but its going to be focus of Smackdown for sure and I don't have the confidence in the WWE creative team to make it funny and entertaining.

LIVE FROM 3COM STADIUM AT DOWNTOWN BAGHDAD, IT'S WEDNESDAY NIGHT BASEBALL!!!!! I see no problem with them playing a series in Rome. I'd be curious to see how many people come out to the games though...anything less than a sellout would be a failure. Considering they can't sell out every game in essentially a minor league-sized stadium in baseball crazy Puerto Rico (I do understand tickets were overpriced, again another Selig brainfart), I seriously doubt they'll sell out anything in Rome where they could give a shit or even know what baseball is.

And they are also better than MTV. Wish I still had digital cable.

Blah, Spring Training fine but keep that crap out of the regular season. Logistically the whole thing will be a pain the ass for the two teams that play in the series. Also Europe doesn't give a shit about baseball so just blindly going there and playing a series just has bad idea written all over it.

Last week the F.B.I. did claim that they broke his ankle so I'm guessing injury angle to send him to OVW.

Oh come on. It's comedy!! If you can't find this funny you're a humorless soulless husk of a human being. I LOATHE Hogan but I want to see this. Well until I see it it is impossible to tell how tougne-in-cheek they really do it. I say odds are it just comes off incredibly lame rather than brilliant comedy but I could be wrong. Oh and even if it does end up being funny and its done purely for comedy it still doesn't belong in the main event of the show.

Oh and since a couple of people already mentioned Big Show not getting punished for the whole thing with Rey means that 1bob was wrong??? I'm shocked!

I guess the ladder match is a must to make up for the rest of Judgment Day. WTF? A jobber match on Smackdown? Also four tag matches total with only five matches with the only singles match being a squash obviously. I guess I'll give them credit for not even acting like it isn't Hogan as Mr. America but then that poses the question...what is the whole fucking point of doing the angle then?

Well apparantly Canada can as well as TSN cut out the white boy challenge for the second straight week.

Well the first pic and the fourth pick make me think pregnancy. Her breasts look bigger now in the fourth pic. The third pick made it look like they were just pushed up byutthe side view idicates that they appear bigger than I remember. Hmmm I got to imagine there is some sort of speculation going on but I don't pay enough attention to entertainment news but if she is really pregnent, from those pics it don't look like she'll be able to keep it a secret much longer.

Bah, its 1bob so I'll take it with a grain of salt. Besides I don't really care about Big Show being fed to Brock again because really the only other option is Benoit to get to fed Brock as there is no way Brock is dropping the title an earlier than SummerSlam. The longer they hold off on Benoit facing Brock the better the chance Benoit has of winning the title, even though I don't think he'll end up winning it anyway but at least chances increase with the longer Brock is champ.

Actually, the highest rated RAW ever is the 5-10-99 edition which did an 8.1. Nitro wasn't on that night due to the NBA playoffs. D'oh my mistake. I had been looking over Raw ratings and saw the 8.1 rating in May of '99 and just assumed that was Raw is Owen without double checking the date. Raw is Owen scored a 7.2.

May 3, 1993 Jim Duggan def. Shawn Michaels by countout; IC Title Match Doink def. The Kamikaze Kid Bob Backlund def. Dwayne Gil The Headshrinkers def. Jay Sledge & Jim Bell Kamala def. Rich Myers May 2, 1994 The Headshrinkers def. The Quebecers to win the WWF Tag Team Titles Tatanka def. Derrick Domino Yokozuna def. Scott Taylor & Mike Davis in a handicap match May 1, 1995 Allied Powers def. Ron Hagan & George Anderson Bob Holly def. Butler Stevens Mantaur def. Sonny Rodgers Sid NC Razor Ramon Adam Bomb def. Adam Sigfrid Men on a Mission def. Kevin Krueger & Bill Duke April 29, 1996 Mankind def. Bart Gunn Steve Austin def. Scott Taylor The New Rockers drew with The Godwinns; double countout The Ultimate Warrior def. Isaac Yankem April 28, 1997 Flash Funk def. Rockabilly The Legion of Doom def. Doug Furnas & Phil LaFon Owen Hart def. Rocky Maivia to win the Intercontinental Title Vader def. Jesse James Goldust def. Hunter Hearst Helmsley by countout The Undertaker def. Davey Boy Smith by DQ April 27, 1998 Ken Shamrock & Owen Hart NC The Rock & Mark Henry The Headbangers def. Terry Funk & 2 Cold Scorpio by DQ Bradshaw def. Jeff Jarrett by DQ The Disciples of Apocalypse def. The New Age Outlaws The Undertaker def. Barry Windham Steve Austin NC Goldust; Special Guest Referee Gerald Brisco; WWF Title Match May 3, 1999 Billy Gunn def. X-Pac Gerald Brisco & Pat Patterson def. The Mean Street Posse by countout Test def. The Big Bossman, Viscera, and Midian (pinned) in a Four Corners Match Vince McMahon def. Shane McMahon The Acolytes def. Mankind in a Hardcore Handicap Match Triple H def. Ken Shamrock The Big Show def. The Undertaker by DQ Steve Austin NC The Rock in a Lumberjack Match May 1, 2000 T&A def. The Dudley Boyz Too Cool def. The Hardy Boyz The Cat & Jacqueline def. Ivory & Terri Chris Jericho def. X-Pac by DQ Rikishi Phatu & The Big Show def. Edge & Christian by DQ; Tag Title Match Eddie Guerrero def. Essa Rios; European Title Match Chris Benoit def. Tazz; IC Title Match The Rock def. Shane McMahon in a Steel Cage Match for the WWF Title; Patterson & Brisco Special Guest Referees April 30, 2001 Matt Hardy def. Edge; European Title Match X-Pac def. Spike Dudley Rhyno def. Chris Jericho; Hardcore Title Match A.P.A. def. The Hollys Test def. Triple H by DQ Chyna def. Trish Stratus The Undertaker def. Steve Austin by DQ; WWF Title Match April 29, 2002 Eddie Guerrero def. Jeff Hardy; IC Title Match Rob Van Dam def. Booker T Brock Lesnar def. Shawn Stasiak Steve Austin & Bradshaw def. Scott Hall & X-Pac Steven Richards def. Bubba Ray Dudley to win the Hardcore Title Spike Dudley def. Goldust; European Title Match

Meltzer reported that he was going to get the title shot at Judgment Day in the week leading up to Backlash and there was a topic on the board about it.