EVIL~! alkeiper

Why the HELL would a team trade for Lowe? He's expensive, and an impending free agent. Offer him arbitration, and he'll likely accept it.

Its not that obscure. He has two sons in the NBA.

And that's NEVER happened in pro sports. Which makes that reference invalid. We're excepting of course acts of assault and battery, ala Marty McSorley's hit, or Ben Christensen beaning Anthony Molina in the on-deck circle.

and have the kid's parents sue the NFL for smearing him on the field? Where the hell would that come from? You said let a prima donna get his ass handed to him by the pros.... You're basically saying, "Let a 19 year old wide receiver get drilled by a 31 year old, 265 lbs linebacker with 10 year experience".... which would definitely lead to the kid having serious injuries. Not necessarily, as I would assume if the kid is there, he's big and talented enough. I'm referring to the lawsuit comment, which to my knowledge has never happened in professional ball, at least under game play.

I should clarify my point. Its not that they are UNWILLING to learn, its simply that the skills are not there. More credit to them that they succeed in a different environment more suited to their skills. Great players are separated by talent, in any sport. Mentality and confidence are usually bullshit dumps. Talent almost always works like a pyramid. The closer to the bottom, the more similar players you find.

A.I. won the Eastern Conference. I don't think you can seriously think their failures are solely their own fault. I think Shaq and Co. have more to do with it.

I don't think it has much to do with team play as it does with simply their particular skills. There are plenty of guys who could pile up high stolen base totals, but will never play Major League Baseball because they can't hit. Same here. The streetballers have great skills, but they aren't the skills crucial to winning basketball. In addition, streetball usually doesn't have the big big inside, physical players like Shaq and such. These players effect the NBA game greatly.

and have the kid's parents sue the NFL for smearing him on the field? Where the hell would that come from?

Sports are a competitive enterprise. I feel if you're good enough to play professionally, you should have that opportunity. What good is it to clog our colleges with imbeciles anyway? There's no point to it. If a kid is too young, or too prima-donnaish, let him get his ass handed to him by the pros.

I like that trade. I play about 95% of my MLB games. I'll play a AAA game from time to time if the big club has an off day. I'm looking forward to work my magic in the postseason. Various ideas include installing Kevin Millwood as closer, or pinch hitting for my pitcher EVERY time at bat.

Not totally true. Beckett has never had a full season and has blister problems his whole career. I was hoping it was over with, but apparently it isn't. In my opinion, the pitch count has absolutely nothing to do with it. For the record, Beckett averages 102.4 pitches per start this season.

Half the time its really just a fabricated set-up in order to sell the fight. boxrec.com is an invaluable reference of fighters and fights.

Danny Ainge played both baseball and basketball.

Definately. However, avoid Leonard-Duran III. Its like watching Rocky V again.

Look for the Graziano-Zale triology. Like the Gatti-Ward series, except better. For the 80s, you can't beat Leonard-Hearns I, or Pryor-Arguello I. Well, except for Hearns-Hagler.

"I made a major contribution to the Cardinals pennant drive--I came down with hepatitis. The trainer injected me with it." -Bob Uecker

Do the Beavers play in Oregon then? Considering they are the OREGON STATE Beavers, yes. Hold on there. There is also a baseball team called the Portland Beavers. They are the AAA affiliate of the San Diego Padres.

Its not just laughing at an insensitive situation, its creating one. That's the problem. Its not that the kid was a whiner. The coach was a whiner for whining about the kid who whined. Except he's the adult.

The closer mystique means nothing. The Phillies have Roberto Hernandez, who is in the top ten all times in saves. I wouldn't trust him with a game any more than Bowa himself. An effective reliever is an effective reliever.

I'm trying to find an original price, but can't quite track one down. However, I did find this gem...... Contrasted with a news article about the Angels signing......

Usually I take the starter out between 55-65%. No need to keep the starter going when I have a competant staff of relievers.

I applaud Ripper as well. That was beautiful.

Its also tremendous fun in videogame form.

Even Vlad has a 61% chance of failing in that situation. The real problem is that Raul Mondesi simply isn't very good. He's a 20/20 player in an era where we learned there's little value in 20/20.

I'm a fan of Soccer but I only can really get into it during the World Cup. MLS doesn't have a Philly team, and I can't bring myself to cheer for a team based in New Jersey. The quality of play in MLS simply doesn't match the standards of the rest of the world, and that hurts the sport in this country. I do think soccer is an exciting sport, particularly if you have a rooting interest in one of the teams.