Cheech Tremendous

Bill's choices were those that have brand new, NBA-caliber arenas with no tenant. He seems to place a lot of weight on the precedent set by Oklahoma City. In other words, a franchise in trouble today will look for an easy move rather than a protracted, complicated one. Seattle, while a big time city, still needs massive improvements to Key or a new facility before they could get team to commit to a move there. That's not an immediate problem for say, Kansas City or St. Louis.

Rush made 2112. Please don't lump them in with these other awful groups.

I was blessed with exceptional length, but below average girth and unimpressive balls.

Bill Simmons has a very long, but fascinating article up at espn.com about the state of finances in the NBA. It's well worth the read if you are interested in that sort of thing, even if Simmons isn't your cup of tea. Among topics covered are a pending lockout for 2011; the reasoning behind the lack of trades; bad officiating; and the possibility of multiple franchises moving in the next 15 months.

According to what I read, the Dodgers wanted to pay Manny $10 million this year, with $10 million deferred to 2010 and the remaining $5 mil coming in 2011. There would be no interest added to the deferred payments. The option year would be paid out over a three-year period, also without interest. Doing a quick PV of the contract using a 10% discount yields $21M for year one and $15M for the option. That's a bunk contract. While Manny may be out of options right now, Boras rejected an offer that was grossly in favor of the Dodgers and out of line with market standards. You don't defer money without interest.

Let's not listen.

Starting Weight: 195 Ending Weight: 188 Total Pounds Lost: 7 Avg. Loss Per Week: 1lb. Weight Lost as a %: 3.59% Did you reach your goal? Not entirely, but I'm happy with what I accomplished. I set out to shed 10 lbs., and fell just short. However, one pound a week is a good amount. Reflections: Last spring I hit two bills for the first time in my life, forcing me to realize that the metabolism wasn't what it used to be. I set out to shed 15 pounds before my best friend's wedding and did it. However, most of that weight crept back on during the holidays. Even though I didn't win the contest, I'm glad that it forced me to watch my weight again. I think I should be able to lose 5-10 more when the weather gets better and I start running again.

Congratulations, David Bush, you're a Stat Monger!

2/26 Update: Here is the chart updated through today. I've deleted those contestants who've gone more than one month without an update. It was obvious that a few people had given up on this entirely. You still have until Monday to get your final weight in, but barring some miraculous change Still Fly is going to win this thing. He was the overall leader in total pounds lost and weight loss as a percentage of body weight. Congratulations on your hard work. Fazzle, KOAB and Haws all had double digit losses. That's impressive for a two-month push. Best of luck keeping it off going forward. Mik and King Curacha both struggled and ended up gaining some weight. That's okay. Keep on trying. As put in your final update, try filling out this little questionnaire:

What did Bowden do to get himself fired a month before the season starts? Why didn't they just fire him back in October of 2008 so they could have the new gm develop the team into what they wanted for what is possible for the 2009 season? Bowden is in really deep with the DR bonus skimming scandal. He's reportedly being investigated by the FBI. They're dropping like flies in the Nats organization as a result of the scandal, with Special Assistant Jose Rijo recently agreeing to take a leave of absence.

I don't remember anything about a WCW/SMW agreement outside of this match. Care to enlighten us? I love inept WCW stories.

I had to consult Google.

The best thing about homosexuality is that it has gained a certain amount of social acceptance in the past ten years due to its portrayal in the media. Only in this decade has the topic become "safe", with many television shows and movies not only openly discussing it, but intentionally glorifying it. Because of this, it has seemingly made it easier for young females to "experiment" and be bi-curious. The by-product, of course, is a greater availability of three-ways, as well as lesbian porn, for a generation of males like myself. I am more than okay with this.

The Nationals are strongly considering firing Jim Bowden and replacing him Blue Jays assistant GM Tony LaCava. Bud Selig has already given them the go-ahead to make a change without interviewing a minority candidate.

I think I saw a movie once that starred Peter Bone. We can talk about in LSD.

Maybe I'm buying into the hype too much, but I think John Carlson's a future star. I still think they need a legit #1 wide receiver. Not sure if Crabtree is that guy or not, but I hope he is.

Good thing he ran himself out of Boston for fear that they might pick up his two $20 million player options. That would have been devastating for him. EDIT: They've reportedly agreed to terms. No link yet. EDIT 2: LA Daily News retracted the done deal article.

I might publish one last update this week, but I doubt it. The crucial weigh-in is the one before next Monday.

And I can't wait for another year of Marvin doing play-by-play for a sub-.500 team that no one else cares about.

The Oakland A's to Fremont deal is officially dead. So what's next? Is Bored our only A's fan here? I know that San Jose and Sacramento are frequently discussed as alternatives, but I don't see either one being viable, especially right now.

I'll openly admit it: this made me lose it.

.. You're WHAT NOW? Had I known this Cheech, I would've never voted to let you back into the Secret Society of Blue Mods. This is truly a betrayal for an Oregonian. What are you, from California or sumthin'? Non-practicing Kings fan at the moment. Yes, I grew up in northern California, which explains my Kings and Raiders fandom. I never fully developed any attachment to the baseball teams from the bay area and adopted the Red Sox in my late teenage years due to my undying Yankee hatred. I like watching the Blazers and they are an easy team to root for, but I'm not going to turn my back on the team I grew up with because they suck monkey balls and the owners seem to only be concerned with hanging out in Vegas and bitching for a new arena. Sorry to disappoint you so much, VX.

Two players who couldn't crack the rotations on below .500 teams. Forgive me if I feel a little underwhelmed by these moves. The Celtics need depth, but doesn't it seem like they are looking in the wrong places? As a Kings fan, let me explain: Mikki Moore is a bad player. This is not PJ Brown redux. Brown was a terrific player in his prime who was reaching his final days. He had a lot to offer in limited minutes in terms of rebounding and defense. Moore is a hustler and will grab a few boards, but he doesn't really do much more than Powe or Davis. Marbury could be rewarding, but House has done okay as the backup PG and Rondo's developed enough that he can play the majority of crunch playoff minutes. You just don't know what you are getting with Starbury, both in terms of attitude and play, given that he's sat out an entire season.

Joe Blanton, SP

Shut your hole, you miserable mullet-wearing mouthbreather.