EVIL~! alkeiper

Wrestlemania disappeared from Sunflower's schedule as well.

Honestly, there isn't a fat pitcher that hasn't come through Scranton. Chris Britton, Heath Phillips, Ron Villone, Runelys Hernandez, Jose Veras, Colter Bean. Sidney Ponson would be an ideal addition to that rotation.

MIB, I think there is an equal mistake in assuming the AL manager does not need to dictate much strategy. People assume that the only decisions managers need to make regard playing time and when, and that is simply not true. Should a team hit and run? Steal? Play the infield in? Overshift? Swing away on 3-0 count? There's plenty of strategy in the American League, if you know where to look. An AL and NL bench are essentially the same. Backup catcher, utility infielder, spare outfielder, and either another outfielder or corner infielder, depending on who you use as your DH. The days of specialized bench construction died with the 12 man pitching staff.

Control-F and search, it'll really save you a ton of time.

Hell fucking yes.

Japanese guys are a tough go. Could a wrestler like Jumbo Tsuruta, Mitsuharu Misawa etc. get over in the States if they wrestled here full time? I think some could individually, but I couldn't see 6-7 of them in the same American promotion. I avoided listing guys who never wrestled here with any regularity. Regarding the big men and heels, there are a surprising number who are available yet. Even George "the Animal" Steele is out there.

Your reasoning is absolutely on the right track, though I personally am not a big fan of that particular song.

Czech, had I not shown my hand, what song would you have guessed?

I'll agree that the pitcher at the plate is rarely a source of excitement, but you seem to ignore the actual strategy that is involved. It has nothing to do with what happens when the pticher's in the batter's box, but rather in deciding when or when not to send him there. If a guy's struggling on the mound does a manager choose to leave him in with 2 outs because his spot's due up next inning or blow a guy out of the pen for one out? If a pitcher's doing well, but it's late in a tight game and a good scoring opportunity does he go pinch hitter to try to score or does he believe the pitcher can hang on? In the AL everything is based on the pitcher's performance on the mound and your offense doesn't have to be factored in. Look at some of Roy Hallady's complete games this year, probably none of those happen in the NL. I don't think you'll find anyone who argues that the parts you mention have some great strategy involved. I just don't think it's that big a deal. Great action in baseball comes from action on-field. Hitting, running, fielding, pitching. There is always strategy involved, but most idiot commentators these days can't explain what is going on, so you miss most of it. Defensive positioning, pitch guessing, bluffing a run, etc. From my time watching the AAA Red Barons in 2005-06, I had the unique opportunity to watch a mix of DH and non-DH games at the same park. I found the AL game preferable due to the lack of double switches (stat stringers hate that). Otherwise not much of a difference, except a tick higher offense.

Shoot. I got my titles mixed up. I'm thinking of Within You Without You.

Tomorrow Never Knows is a title that might fit you.

Fresno State's miracle run continues, they are now 2-0 with a win over UNC. One more win will put them in the finals. The remaining schedule: Wednesday: Stanford vs. Miami, 7pm (Elimination Game) Thursday: UNC vs. LSU, 7pm (Elimination Game) Friday: Georgia vs. Stanford, 2pm. Fresno State vs. UNC/LSU, 7pm. Saturday: Games if necessary. With the double elmination format, Georgia and Fresno State need to win once while their opponents need to win two straight. Finals run June 23-25, all games at 7pm.

I'll narrow it down to three. Things We Said Today, She's Leaving Home and Penny Lane.

Team USA Baseball announced their final roster of invitees. This is not the Olympic team, rather the amateur team that represents the country in many competitions no one cares about. http://www.mlb.com/usa_baseball/article.js...am_invites_2008 The reason I point this out is because of a young infielder from Baylor U. named Shaver Hansen. Most of you are familiar with his father, Stan.

7:45pm and it's the top of the second. Let me again state what a boring ass style of baseball the Red Sox play.

That the pitcher can do that is the point. You never see pitchers doing that in professional leagues.

Incredible finish just now, with LSU knocking out Rice with a bases loaded double with one out in the ninth to win 6-5.

Little league pitchers can hit because the competition is much, much easier. You can tell how advanced a league is by where their best hitters usually play. If the pitcher bats fourth, that doesn't say much for the league. I'm not opposed to the DH. The NL "strategy" is overstated. If the pitcher comes to bat with runners on and less than two outs, he bunts. Otherwise he flails at the ball. A lot of effort it took for the manager to figure that out. It's not exciting, almost never exciting, to watch the pitcher hit.

What makes Hank's comments irksome is this was an issue he was conspicuously silent on before Wang's injury.

Over in the General Wrestling forum, there is a draft going on to select all-time rosters of wrestlers. I missed out on this, but it provides an opportunity to do a little list creation in my spare time. I created a list of my ideal top 64 picks. When selecting a wrestler, I feel you need to look for uncommon attributes, something to stand out from the crowd. Mid-carders are crucial to a good promotion, but you can find many, many guys at that level. Also, I think a wrestler needs some ability to succeed in today's environment. Gorgeous George was extremely popular as a heel for a time, but he was a limited attraction and today the novelty would be gone. I don't think he would be a top draw today. Let's see how my 64 stands up against the actual draft. I will divide this into four sections. 1. Wrestlers both in my top 64 and the draft top 64. 2. Wrestlers in my top 64 who just missed (first 100 picks). 3. Whiffs, Guys in my top 64 who went beyond the 100th pick. 4. Undrafted wrestlers. I did not rank my list, so it is simply a list of 64 wrestlers/teams. 1. Wrestlers both in my top 64 and the draft top 64. Since there is a consensus, there should be no need to comment on these names individually. 1. Bret Hart 2. Hulk Hogan 3. The Rock 4. Ric Flair 5. Steve Austin 6. Randy Savage 7. Andre the Giant 8. Shawn Michaels 10. John Cena 11. Triple H 12. Sting 13. The Undertaker 14. Brock Lesnar 15. Mick Foley 16. Kurt Angle 17. Roddy Piper 18. Bill Goldberg 19. Vader 20. Terry Funk 21. Eddie Guerrero 22. Chris Jericho 23. Ricky Steamboat 27. Steiner Brothers 30. Harley Race 31. Ultimate Warrior 33. Kerry Von Erich 34. Dusty Rhodes 35. Curt Hennig 38. The Road Warriors 40. Superstar Billy Graham 44. Bruno Sammartino 45. Jake Roberts 50. Stan Hansen 51. The Great Muta 52. Jack Brisco 54. Bruiser Brody 56. Terry Gordy/Miracle Violence Connection (I had him as part of the Freebirds) 61. Barry Windham 64. Magnum T.A. 2. Wrestlers in my top 64 who just missed (first 100 picks). 65. Jimmy Snuka 67. Rey Mysterio 68. Sid Vicious (as a member of the Skyscrapers) 69. The Big Show 70. Jerry Lawler 72. Sgt. Slaughter 89. Lex Luger 100. Yokozuna Great picks here, a few main eventers, a couple of solid workers (Sgt. Slaughter is underrated). Chalk this up to slight differences of opinion, perhaps some crowding with posters preferring Japanese workers. 3. Whiffs, Guys in my top 64 who went beyond the 100th pick. Now we get to the portion where drafters are simply missing the boat on great talent, underrating guys who could carry a promotion, or make a significant contribution. Kudos to those who took the bait and made a wise choice on a late round pick. 101. Junkyard Dog - For a time, one of the most popular wrestlers in the country. 102. Nikita Koloff 104. Nick Bockwinkel - A wrestler with Bockwinkel's cockiness and interview style would no doubt make a top heel today. I could easily see him paired up against John Cena. 110. Trish Stratus - Possibly the greatest female wrestler in U.S. history, incredibly beautiful. Capable of filling a variety of roles. 117. Sabu - Unique style, still unmatched in wrestling. A genuine sensation in the 1990s, unwillingness to work at times hurt his potential. 128. Dory Funk Jr. - Interesting to think what he would do nowadays. Playing the grizzled veteran along with his backstage teaching skills, he'd be an asset to any organization. 131. Lou Thesz - Could he make it today? I think his wrestling skill could carry him, particularly as a stooging heel. 137. The Sheik - The most feared, savage heel of all time. 161. David Von Erich - Future NWA champion until his untimely death. David is a "what if" story, so I can't blame people for overlooking him. 176. Buddy Rogers - Top heel of his era, huge television star. Think Randy Orton cockiness combined with Ric Flair's charisma. Drew the biggest wrestling crowd in the United States in 1961. 38,000+ at Comiskey Park to see him win the NWA title, a mark unsurpassed until 1984. 4. Undrafted wrestlers. Seven mostly old-school wrestlers who could benefit any promotion. Mil Mascaras - One of the most popular latino wrestlers in history, used dazzling aerial manuevers in his prime. Fred Blassie - Before managing, was a blond, vicious heel with incredible talking ability. Billy Robinson - A great performer from Britain. Had less backstage warts than the Dynamite Kid. His mat work is good even by today's standards. Jim Londos - Who? The greatest gate attraction of the pre-1950s era. At 190 lbs., handsome and tanned, would make a great babyface champion for a light heavyweight division. Bobo Brazil - Popular black wrestler who re-defined racial boundaries. 6'6". Gene Kiniski - Largely unknown NWA champion. Good worker and talent, around 6'4". His size would make him credible and his heel work would carry him from there. Ernie Ladd - A former NFL star, legitimately huge with great heel mannerisms. Johnny Valentine - Greg's father worked the same style, but better.

This year's Rumble had quite a few great points. Michaels attempting to toss Undertaker every time Taker attempted an elimination. The Hardcore Holly/Michaels/Undertaker interchange. Piper and Snuka.

Everything about this move is designed to duck media scrutiny. 1. It occurred at midnight local time, 3am in New York. Too late to hit the newspapers today. 2. It occurred on the west coast, almost in the city furthest from the team's home park. 3. The Mets do not play at home again for a week. 4. Bill Bavasi got fired yesterday as well, adding to the news stories. 5. The NBA Finals may be over tonight, dominating Wednesday's sport sections. I'd agree with the writers who say this is an act of cowardice by the Mets' management.

I think Warrior/Goldust from IYH was unbelieveably awful, though I don't remember right off. Do they really need to split a two hour show into two parts? WarGames '92 is simply one of the greatest gimmick matches of all time. ***** easy. Killer Kowalski vs. George Bollas, aka the Zebra Kid. That should be interesting.

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/news/ar...b&fext=.jsp A lot of fun, despite the rain delay. Matsuzaka looked good, no sign of injury lingering.

I actually think 1995 was a hair better. At least it had flow and action. 2006 was just a spotfest with multiple participants laying around if they didn't have a spot to do. 1999 was the absolute pits with horrible booking all around.