Just John

As an Astros fan, I would be somewhat disappointed if they didn't at least let Garner finish the season. I mean, he lost Beltran, Kent, and Bagwell. No amount of good managing is going to cushion that kind of blow to your hitting.

Have they ever clearly stated whether the "draft lottery" is completely random or if the GM's make a conscious selection and they can pick whoever?

It would be a serious blow to the Raw midcard, but there's really nothing else for him to do. He's clearly ready to step up to the upper midcard and beyond, and with Raw bringing in established stars like Cena and Angle, he's really gonna have trouble not only getting wins, but even getting ME tv time. I really think this draft is going to establish new identities for the brands. Raw will have the proven stars and veterans, while SD gets guys who are ready to go to the next level. This is probably the best way to do it because mixing guys who need to move up with established stars doesn't usually work (not necessarily due to politics, but simply because the current draws get more tv time).

I think Shelton Benjamin goes to SD either this week or next week, after jobbing the IC belt to Hassan. I'd like to see Edge go to SD this week, bitch about losing his MITB shot, do his last Raw match at Vengeance with Kane, then take advantage of a worn out Batista after the HITC, get the World title and take it to SD. Unfortunately, I doubt that will happen. Raw doesn't need big names, or guys with potential like SD, so just use the last couple weeks of the draft to trim the fat on SD. Give Raw the Big Show, Matt Morgan, or Heidenreich... Some big guy that could work a small program with Batista.

This loss was devastating for Detroit. They better muster all the "championship poise" they have for Game 6, or they'll be on the ass end of an ass kicking like in Games 1 and 2.

I think we'll be seeing this one on ESPN Classic some day. Robert Horry was off the charts. That game made up for every horrible moment in Games 1 through 4. That was the most excited I was for the finish of a playoff game this year since T-Mac's Game 2 winner in Dallas. Probably because I like Robert Horry a lot (ex-Rocket).

I think being in the Radicals helped Benoit and Guerrero. Being made to look like the stars of the group helped them establish solid upper midcard footing which made their main event pushes easier. Malenko and Saturn didn't get much out of it, but they were no worse off than if they came in on their own. As far as death stables go, I'd say it's pretty tough to top the Alliance. Out of all the non-WWF participants, only Booker T and RVD managed to escape with some credibility. Meanwhile, guys like DDP, Kanyon, Palumbo, O'Haire, Jindrak, Dreamer, etc. were devestated by the repeated jobbing and infamously horrible booking.

Red Robin (A1 Peppercorn burger) Fuddruckers (3 cheese burger)

Everyone here said this would be a good series because both teams are defensively sound... But it looks like the problem is only one team plays defense per game. This series has been pretty hard to watch, in my opinion.

Yeah, a decent one. He's quite carryable and with Benoit, Guerrero, Rey, and Orton (who isn't really great, but always seems to have pretty good matches with Edge) on the show, he would be a good fit.

You know, I really like MNM. That whole segment with Heidenreich was pretty funny with them mocking the divas and Heidenreich's walk. That and Melina saying "What are you gonna do? Ask me to be your friend?" followed by Heienreich's saddened "Maybe." They're probably the best tag team since Haas and Benjamin split. I also thought JBL/UT was good with a nice final five minutes. Looks like we'll revive the Orton/UT feud, so that way JBL is free to feud with Benoit. SD could have a promising future if they get a couple more decent-great workrate guys like Edge and Benjamin in the draft.

I'd expect a midcarder or someone relatively unimportant to be drafted like Rene Dupree or Matt Morgan.

"Bitches leave." On the subject of great Dennis Hopper characters, I loved him in Speed. "If I drop this stick, they pick your friend up with a sponge. Are you ready to die, friend?" "Yeah, I wish I had some loftier purpose, but in the end, it's just the money I'm afraid." And I also nominate Danny Kaffee from "A Few Good Men" and Sgt. Hartman from "Full Metal Jacket."

Not a fun year for us Astros fans. The 'Stros are dead last in runs scored this year (by a long shot). Losing Beltran, Kent, and Bagwell will do that to you. I doubt they'd get a lot for Clemens (relatively speaking). I don't think Roger is really interested in playing away from his hometown and he probably won't be around in a year or two. I can't imagine any team giving a couple of all-star hitters for him. Their best hope is to cut their losses this year and look ahead for possible free agent signings. They can't do much in the way of trades. At least not anything that wouldn't be counter productive. They can't start trading pitchers because behind Oswalt, Pettitte, and Clemens, the starters are inconsistent. And the entire bullpen sucks except for Lidge.

Seth Henson (Jaguars punter) dropping an axe on his foot. Julian Tavarez breaking his hand after punching a wall in last years NLCS.

I think I'm the only one who has come to like this finish over time. After it happened, I was pissed, but now that I've watched that match like 20 times, I realize that was how fans were supposed to feel. It's an example of masterful story telling and character portrayal by both men. Angle as the angry face on a mission, and Austin as the psychotic, desperate heel are both played to perfection. After Angle kicked out of the 3rd stunner, Austin was trying his best to get intentionally disqualified by using blatant low blows, going for weapons, and hitting refs. Even in spite of all of that, Angle was still about to win before getting screwed by crooked ref Nick Patrick. This gave both guys a ton of heat, and perfectly set up Angle winning the title in his hometown a month later. Though the Invasion is infamous in terms of botched story lines, the Austin/Angle subset feud was one of the better angles in the new millenium.

Best Worker: I'll have to go with Angle. He's always been good, but he really picked up some steam up until his current feud with Booker T. His matches with Guerrero, Cena, Michaels, and even Marty Janetty have been good. Most Improved: Probably Edge. He's still having good matches with Benoit, Jericho, and Michaels, plus his character has gotten better since winning the MITB. He's gone back to more of his arrogant 2000 persona, but with more intensity. It's a lot better than him saying "You screwed me, Shawn... You SCREEEEWED me!" every week. Best Spot: In terms of looking cool, either Shelton's no-hands, over-the-top-rope flipping plancha to the floor or ladder run and clothesline from the MITB ladder match. In terms of looking vicious, Eddie's vertical suplex to Rey on the steps takes the cake. Biggest Disappointment: I agree with the WWE title match at Mania. No doubt Cena should have won because of the way the feud was built, but the finish should have been way better. There was no build and the match should have gone at least 10 more minutes at the pace they were going. Best Match: Angle/Michaels at Wrestlemania. I thought it was **** upon first viewing, but I'll have to watch it again. My only major complaint was Shawn still going for the SCM after his ankle was worked on. The kick was fine, but why did he try to "tune up the band." I did like the fact that he actually tapped to the ankle lock for the clean finish. Funniest Moment: The unintentional comedy of Kurt Angle: "Josh, everyone has vices. My vice is gutter sluts. Maybe I have a psychological disorder, I don't know ... I don't know how to say this, so I'm just gonna say it... Booker, I want to have sex with your wife. Not just any sex, though. No, I want to have hot, dirty bestiality sex with her." Best PPV: Wrestlemania. Angle/Michaels was great, Orton/UT was surprisingly good, HHH/Batista did what it was supposed to, and the MITB ladder match was a fun spotfest (Though I must say I admire Chris Benoit for bringing arm psych to the match and selling the injury for a couple weeks... Consistent selling and psychology in a ladder match? Now that's workrate!)

I'm not greatly excited for this matchup (I really wanted Heat/Spurs), but hopefully they can surprise me. I'd mark if there was just one game where both teams scored over 100.

In chronological order: Sting vs. Vader (Super Brawl 1993) Rey Mysterio vs. Psychosis (Bash at the Beach 1996) Dean Malenko vs. Chris Benoit (Hog Wild 1996) Eddie Guerrero vs. Dean Malenko (Uncensored 1997) Eddie Guerrero vs. Chris Jericho (Fall Brawl 1997) Eddie Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio (Halloween Havoc 1997) HHH vs. Mick Foley (No Way Out 2000) The Rock vs. HHH (Judgment Day 2000) Steve Austin vs. Kurt Angle (Summer Slam 2001) Eddie Guerrero vs. Brock Lesnar (No Way Out 2004) I guess I have a thing for Eddie, since he's disproportionately represented in my top 10. Can't deny he was on fire in 97, though.

Me too, but I don't feel guilty about it in the least. Some I know I shoud hate: "My Happy Ending" (Avril Lavigne) "Like I love you" (Justin Timberlake) "P.I.M.P." (50 cent) "Your Beautiful Soul" (Jesse McCartney) <- I think something's really wrong there. There's probably more.

Pretty much all of "A Few Good Men" But especially the final cross examination between Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson.

Mark Henry upon his return. That would make for some great matches.

I bet Phoenix would beat any of those teams in a 7 game series except San Antonio. What potential on defense? Even with the coaching change, Dallas was still pretty weak on defense. They showed flashes toward the end of the season and in the last game against Houston, but nothing that should lead anyone to believe they're capable of playing great D for 4-7 games. Especially against a team that runs like Phoenix. They also scored well above their season average for that series, so it seems to me like the Mavs just weren't good enough to beat the Suns. Phoenix beat Denver 3 times under Karl's watch. Just because Denver matches slightly better with San Antonio doesn't mean they could beat the Suns, nor are they a better team than the Suns. Oh, come on. You can't play the what-if game to determine the best teams. They play the games on the court, so whatever team looks better on paper is meaningless. The fact is Minnesota sucked this year, and to say they're better than a team that won 20 more games than they did is a joke. Phoenix went 2-1 against Seattle before Seattle was stricken with injuries. Again, the just because the Sonics match up better with the Spurs doesn't mean they match up well with the Suns. The Spurs are the only team in the West that plays D well enough to slow down the Suns. Everyone else gets worn down by their fast pace and can't keep up with them. The Suns are at worst the 2nd best team in the West and are clearly better than 4 of the teams you listed.

However, Miami is a far better team than Indiana.

However, Miami is a far better team than Indiana.