EVIL~! alkeiper

Anyone remember Mad Magazine's WWF Merchandise Catalog? You could pay by cash, check or $10,000 bounty. In any case, this reminds me of some of the stuff they came up with there.

Here is a tournament we can all support! http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/fa...ker_madness.jsp

I can do this because I'm a mod. You all need to support me in the SmartMarks poster tournament. Show your appreciation for the Sports folder!

Czech Alkeiper Alkeiper is both the best AND most non-offensive poster on this board. As for Czech, how often would finalists share a birthday?

Of course Cornette's going to come off well. It's 50/50 that he's the source.

Going through Cawthon's site, I see Razor Ramon beat Jeff Jarrett in a ladder match at a house show to win the IC title. Razor and Jarrett went around the house show with the ladder match, and usually Jarrett would win after Razor recovered the belt unseen from the referee. My question is whether the title change could have occured accidentally.

Netflix has a fantastic selection of wrestling.

I think they should end the streak. The only way to make something of it is to either let it ride 8-10 more years, or book Undertaker/Edge. If they keep running it they could end up booking themselves into a corner.

I never figured you would let the lack of merchandise prevent you from online retailing. You're making progress!

The problem with the 2-3 inning approach is that pitchers got burnt out. Check out Bruce Sutter's splits. 1976 1st Half: 1.75 2nd Half: 3.42 1977 1st Half: 1.11 2nd Half: 2.08 1978 1st Half: 1.76 2nd Half: 5.10 1979 1st Half: 1.34 2nd Half: 3.21 That 1978 split prompted manager Herman Franks to use Bruce Sutter sparingly in seventh inning situations. Obviously a pitcher of Mariano Rivera's quality is better used for multiple innings. The problem is that observers make the assumption that a pitcher will retain the same quality whether he pitches one inning or several. The evolution of relief pitching has seemingly dictated that it is easier to get quality by having pitchers work shorter outings, and using more of them. That sounds counter-intuitive, but a quick check shows the median ERA was a third of a run lower among relievers than starters.

Snuka/Hogan vs. Orton/Muraco was quite the good little match.

To the best of my knowledge Andre had not been pinned in the WWF at that point.

1946 Boston Red Sox (humanoid92) vs. 2004 Boston Red Sox (Just John) '04 Red Sox 6, '46 Red Sox 0 WP: Bronson Arroyo (1-1) LP: Joe Dobson (1-1) Manny Ramirez collected three RBIs and Johnny Damon added two in the victory. A four-run eighth led by Manny's home run sealed the victory. '46 Red Sox 7, '04 Red Sox 2 WP: Tex Hughson (2-1) LP: Derek Lowe (0-1) Dom Dimaggio and Rudy York picked up two RBIs apiece in the victory. Tex Hughson pitched a complete game in the victory. '04 Red Sox 8, '46 Red Sox 2 WP: Pedro Martinez (2-0) LP: Wes Ferriss (0-2) Sv: Curtis Leskanic (1) Bill Mueller's three-run home run in the eighth inning gave the '04 club a commanding 7-2 victory. They tacked on an insurance run later in the inning, and went on to win. '46 Red Sox 15, '04 Red Sox 9 WP: Mickey Harris (1-1) LP: Curt Schilling (2-1) Sv: Bob Klinger (2) Curt Schilling surrendered five runs in the first inning and eight runs in four. Six different '46 Sox collected two or three RBIs. Johnny Pesky hit a rare home run in the fourth. '46 Red Sox 4, '04 Red Sox 1 WP: Joe Dobson (2-1) LP: Bronson Arroyo (1-2) Sv: Earl Johnson (1) Hitting under .100 for the tournament coming in, Wally Moses exploded for two home runs. Dom Dimaggio added a home run and two RBIs of his own. The '46 Sox lead three games to two, heading back to 1946 Fenway. '46 Red Sox 2, '04 Red Sox 1 WP: Tex Hughson (3-1) LP: Derek Lowe (0-2) Sv: Bob Klinger (3) Jason Varitek gave the '04 club a 1-0 lead with a solo home run in the second. In the bottom of the second however, an Orlando Cabrera error with two outs allowed Bobby Doerr to reach base, and two consecutive singles scored Doerr. Dom Dimaggio's RBI single in the third gave the '46 club the lead. In the eighth Dave Roberts reached base and stole second, but Johnny Damon struck out, Orlando Cabrera grounded out and Manny Ramirez struck out. The '04 club again threatened in the ninth but were unable to tie the game. '46 Red Sox win series 4-2 The '46 Red Sox actually had the second highest winning percentage in club history but are largely passed over because of their World Series loss. That loss was a one-run loss in game seven. In this series they neutralized the bat of David Ortiz, who failed to continue his clutch hitting antics (See how this works). The '46 Sox advance to challenge the '98 Yankees. Up Next: '86 Mets vs. '84 Tigers

You do realize that this is the backbone of the entire argument against having a proven closer, right? Not quite. There are really two different arguments at work. The need for a proven closer, and how you use that closer. James never argued that a team did not need a closer. He argued that closers were not used in an optimal fashion. The crux of James' arguments was that closers were better utilized in tie and one-run games than in leads of three runs or less.

Well of course in any pennant race you will have your what ifs. If Philly went to Ryan Howard earlier in 2005, they'd make the wild card. If the Red Sox had a single very good starter, that would make a difference. They would have won more games with a great closer, but there are many other factors that come into play. As for the second part, the fun of the baseball season is seeing how these various strategies will work out. The Red Sox are taking a risk in seeing that they can find a closer. It would be foolish to think they do not have a plan. Whether or not it works remains to be seen, but I can see the reasoning behind it.

1. Usually a show is posted for two weeks. 2. WWE will show short previews for other 24/7 programming, but otherwise shows are advertisement free.

I can not speak for the entire community, but here is my view. The lack of a quality closer can seriously hinder a team. If a team has Joe Scrub in the closers' role, they will lose a few games. The same is true of a team that lacks a quality second baseman, a quality right fielder, etc. You can not expect to compete with a black hole in your team. That said, the idea of the "proven" closer is what is overrated. Every year three or four closers emerge in baseball, guys who can get the job done but do not yet have the credentials. If a team can identify a closer rather than overpay for one, that provides a huge advantage. Last year the Sox did just that. Maybe Manny Delcarmen does the job this year. Or Joel Pineiro, or Devern Hansack. As for Jon Papelbon, a starter is more valuable than a closer. It does no good to have a lights out pitcher in the bullpen if you can't get them a lead. The big problem is that if a pitcher's condition will let him start but not close, I don't trust his health period. One other note, the difference between a great closer and good closer is maybe a win or two a year. For example, the Sox went 47-12 in games Papelbon pitched last year. The Phillies went 51-8 when Tom Gordon pitched. If a closer for the Sox puts up a 3.00 ERA, that means maybe a game or two less due to the closer. Meanwhile, the Sox gave twelve starts to Matt Clement and ten to Kyle Snider, both of him posted ERAs north of six. If making Papelbon a starter means shoring up that spot, they will win more games. I don't think the Sox are abandoning using a good closer. There was just no good closers on the market and they need to explore other options. If Papelbon is healthy, he should explore a career as a starter.

I think it just happens. The next three series run 6, 7 and 6 games respectively.

1998 New York Yankees (Cena's Writer) vs. 1919 Chicago White Sox (2Gold) '98 Yankees 10, '19 White Sox 9 WP: Mariano Rivera (1-0) LP: Bill James (0-1) The White Sox took an early 6-1 lead by the fourth inning. Scott Brosius got the Yankees within one with a grand slam in the fourth. The game remained 6-5 until the eighth when Tino Martinez tied the game with a solo home run. Mariano Rivera came in for the ninth but pitched badly, surrendering three runs. Grover Lowdermilk pitched worse, giving up three runs after just four batters. James came in, picked Bernie Williams off first base and retired Chili Davis. A walk to Tino Martinez and two consecutive hits plated a run for the Yankees, winning the game. '98 Yankees 3, '19 White Sox 1 WP: Orlando Hernandez (1-1) LP: Eddie Cicotte (2-1) Sv: Mariano Rivera (2) Chuck Knoblauch broke a scoreless tie in the sixth with a solo home run, and Chili Davis added a two-run home run of his own. Eddie Cicotte pitched a complete game in the loss. '98 Yankees 7, '19 White Sox 3 WP: David Cone (2-0) LP: Lefty Williams (0-3) You get the feeling Lefty is not a big game pitcher. He surrendered four first inning runs but settled down, leaving only for a pinch-hitter in the fifth. The White Sox pulled to within one run in the sixth, but Jorge Posada and Darryl Strawberry hit back-to-back home runs in the seventh to give the Yankees a four-run lead. The Yankees shut down the Sox the rest of the way. '98 Yankees 3, '19 White Sox 0 WP: David Wells (2-0) LP: Dickie Kerr (2-1) Sv: Mariano Rivera (3) Tino Martinez and Jorge Posada picked up RBIs in the fourth inning to give the Yankees the lead. A third run scored on a double play in the sixth. 1998 Yankees win series 4-0 The White Sox had good frontline talent but little depth. The Yankees dominated in the late innings thanks to their bullpen and bench. The Yankees advance to play a Red Sox team to be determined. Up Next: '46 Red Sox vs. '04 Red Sox

You're right Barron, but jesus christ you turn into an annoying, whiny fuck any time something like this happens.

Wrestling fans get pretty touchy about Eddie Guerrero. The beginning of the end of SNKT was touched off by my opposition to putting an "RIP Eddie Guerrero" note on the top of the forum.

That's a perfectly acceptable contract in this age.

They are knowledgeable and informative. All to often however, their writing is arrogant and they come off as smarmy know-it-alls who can't believe the utter stupidity of the baseball world they cover. When they create a statistic, they assume its findings are 100% accurate even when the stats are suspect (i.e. their putting monetary value on wins and assigning that to player value).

Quickie thoughts... Wrestlemania I: No changes. Everything here accomplished what it needed to. There were several memorable moments/angles, and nothing dragged. Wrestlemania II: Obviously trying to outdo Starrcade by running a three arena show didn't catch on. A Muraco/Steamboat blowoff would have added to the event. Perhaps running a cage match in two sites would create some excitement. Also, kick Moolah/McIntyre off the card. You have a 62 year old woman defending her world title in a one minute squash? To hell with Moolah. Wrestlemania III: No changes. Wrestlemania IV: The only way to change this around in a meaningful fashion is not to run the tournament at all. You might have Hogan/Dibiase for the WWF title, HTM/Savage for the IC Title, etc. But I don't know if that is a real improvement, and the event as it stands elevated Savage proper.

You know, I'd like to see some of those BPro guys get a general managers' job so I can watch it crash and burn. As for Hunter Pence, if he starts the season in AAA and stays a single week, the Astros retain his rights an extra year. No reason to bring him up immediately.