EVIL~! alkeiper

Because two very attractive in a way that I can't explain men are two less men competing for available women. Edit: And fuck it, I'm taking out the word filter.

I may not buy a game this year. Last year's game was nothing more than a roster update, and the whole series is a step down from the superior MVP Baseball line EA Sports made before the exclusivity agreement.

2008's award would go to Ned Yost for using his situational lefty to intentionally walk Ryan Howard, and then leaving him in to pitch to Pat Burrell, a righty.

I can't see that being a viable alternative. Right now, stupid as it may sound, the best place for a third team is northern New Jersey. But there is no reason the Oakland A's can't remain in Oakland.

If you don't want running commentary of Spring Training games, don't go into a Spring Training thread.

I love watching live baseball of any kind. I think the hand-wringing of fans regarding their own players is overblown. You can get hurt in ANY game. Why sweat these ones moreso than any other?

Fast forwarding to 1999, a friend winning a radio contest netted us tickets to WWE Raw at the Meadowlands, the day after Wrestlemania XV. This event featured a two hour live Raw, along with Shotgun and Super Astros tapings. Some highlights I recall. -The Public Enemy pinned by six other guys in a four team tag match. -El Hijo del Santo! -Goldust winning the Intercontinental title from the Blue Meanie. We got the taping first. The night's Raw featured the usual Russo era storylines. The problem with this type of show is that while everything is designed to engage the live audience, none of it is particularly memorable. The Undertaker kidnaps Stephanie McMahon, leading Vince to order his hooligans to find her. Ken Shamrock gets a confession from Christian. All a little more soap operaish than I prefer. Austin regained his Smoking Skull championship belt at this show. The Rock's popularity was on the rise, and it was clearly evident that he would turn face within a month. Apologies for a short entry, but I'm really at a loss to write anything really interesting here. Coming tomorrow: Live shows in 2000 and 2003.

ECW Arena, really? I can't think of a good reason not to use the Spectrum.

Also, I assume we'll be able to split up the vast WWWF? Like if one person wants NYC, a different person can take Philadelphia or Boston?

16th pick. I'm putting together a list of my top 16 "top guys," and my top 16 preferred venues. It will be interesting to see how the actual draft shakes out.

In the first post it states venue AND first round pick, correct?

The Roberts dvd was good. I like all seven of those DVD's, honestly.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prosp...009/267699.html List just released. Here's the top 20. Four prospects total for the Phillies on the list (Dominic Brown, Carlos Carrasco, Lou Marson and Jason Donald).

Did I mention bad, unfunny jokes?

Is that the WWE's version of World Class or the unofficial one you want? Given your preference for old school, I'd rank them thus: 1. Ric Flair: Definative Collection 2. Steve Austin 3. Best of SNME 4. Roddy Piper 5. Legion of Doom 6. Best of World Class 7. Jake Roberts I'm partial to dvds with great matches.

Wow. Really, all the mentions of Benoit in this thread. Have been jokes. All of them.

Yeah. It didn't seem particularly relevant to the live experience though. Honestly, the only real exposure I got as an 11 year old fan was two months later when the Apter mags covered it.

I think this is silly. 1. The park factor for Coors Field fell after 2001. Helton maintained his production for five years (2000-2004), not two. 2. Dozens upon dozens of players had two great seasons, it doesn't mean they took steroids. Roger Maris? 3. If you look at Helton's OPS+ column, he absolutely follows a normal aging curve to a tee. Peak from ages 26-30, decline afterwards. The most prevalent steroid users of our generation lasted into their early 40s. When it comes to performance, you're damned if you do and damned if you don't. 4. In Helton's best season, his OPS+ edges into the top 50 by a first baseman in the last half century. That's hardly a historic marker. Helton put up tremendous numbers because he was a very good ballplayer enjoying one of the most favorable offensive climates ever produced. That should not automatically arouse steroid suspicion.

Hawpe is getting pretty bad defensively, and that's the wrong ballpark to punt outfield defense.

Steamboat, fuck yeah~! And that music rocks as well.

What's the name of the poster causing the thread fuckup?

Todd Helton had an absolutely normal career path. Peak from 26-30, tailed off since then. I don't see what's so special about Garrett Atkins. If I were the Rockies, I'd move Brad Hawpe to first base.

This Saturday I'm attending a WWE house show in Wilkes-Barre, PA. In the week prior, I thought it would be fun to look back at various live shows I have attended. Kicking off is my first live wrestling experience. In the early days of Monday Night Raw, WWE would run shows in much smaller venues. The Fernwood Event Center was a small convention hall in Bushkill, PA that held maybe 3,000. The town more or less consists of a single resort. Parking at the place was sparse, with cars lining Route 209 perhaps for half a mile. My friend, my father and I got standing tickets for the show, I being unable to convince my dad that the show just might sell out beforehand. Still, we were in. The show was a combined live show and taping. The matches started with a series of squash matches, some of which aired the next week on Raw. What I remember most is that it seemed to take ten minutes between each squash, more frustrating when the matches themselves lasted two minutes apiece. Razor Ramon defeated Pat Tanaka, the Headshrinkers won a squash, Diesel won a squash, and Ramon came out again and beat the Brooklyn Brawler. (As an aside, one of the jobbers against the Headshrinkers was a young Mike Bucci, who later rose to fame as Nova and Simon Dean.) Finally we got some competitive matches. IRS defeated Marty Jannetty clean and Doink defeated Bastian Booger. Those matches later aired on the Survivor Series Showdown. Bret Hart beat Jerry Lawler in a dark match. That may have been scheduled to air, but Lawler was charged with statutory rape soon after and was taken off television. Then we got the live Raw, which consisted of Ludwig Borga vs. Scott Steiner and a few more squash matches. The live show saw Randy Savage attack Crush in the dressing area, but without monitors all the live crowd saw was Bob Backlund vs. Barry Horowitz. Being late, we left during Luger vs. Pierre. An Undertaker/Yokozuna dark match followed. The show itself is almost entirely unmemorable, as Raw was not much more than a live episode of Superstars at that time. Fernwood was a poor venue, it was cramped and allowed little space for movement to concessions and merchandise, and some fans found themselves sitting directly in walkways. Adding the poor location, and it's a wonder WWE bothered. I would have liked to see them run the Scranton CYC for a Raw once or twice. Or even the Ag Hall in Allentown. Those would have accomplished the same goal of an intimate venue, with a nod towards history. Coming tomorrow: March '99 in the Meadowlands

So apparently you can't get into the wrestling draft if you have a job. Both times it was announced around noon on a weekday, and closed by the evening. Come on!

Given Manu's past, he may not have endeared himself to the WWE brass. He doesn't seem to bring much to the table other than being Afa's son.