Cheech Tremendous

The hell? It's one thing to predict the Yankees to win the division, but the expectation of going over 100 wins (and significantly in 909's case) is quite shocking. Rather than try to pick apart your guess, could you at least provide a quick synopsis of why you feel so strongly about that team? To me, they spent a lot of money for not much guaranteed success, but that could be the inner-Sox fan in me speaking out. I've got them at 90-95 wins based on the projections I've seen. I'll tweak that over the next few days as I start analyzing the roster, but there is nothing on the surface that suggests they are definitively better than Boston or Tampa Bay.

Czech's off by at least 20 wins on the Cubs. Quite a bit of optimism for the Yankees, Mets, and Dodgers as well (EDIT: I did not steal Al's thoughts). Only the Mets out of that group strike me as a team that will push more than 95 wins. I'll have to do some thinking before I come up with my own list. It probably won't be that interest

A-Rod's problem is that he is always trying to save face. It doesn't matter what the circumstances are, he's always angling to get the best reaction from those that cover him. Did you hear that he has five public relations consultants? Five! He needs to tell the whole truth or none of it. This wishy-washy bullshit makes him look like a joke and totally degrades what he is trying to accomplish by apologizing anyways. It's been eight days since the Gammons interview and he has already changed his story significantly, which in and of itself was a total 180 from the Couric interview. That's why he has no credibility and that is why I think the entire story he gave today is 100% bullshit.

The Cavaliers are making a hard push to acquire Antawn Jamison from the Wizards. They are offering Wally Z's expiring contract, but I'm not sure what else. It doesn't seem like they'd move any of their top 7 players. If they can do this it's a potential game-changer in the East.

75% of the voters want a Lit folder in some capacity. I know the staff is still against this, but that's a fairly sizable percentage in favor.

What's the shtick? I can't comment on the board or make suggestions?

By the way, Griffey is now denying the story.

I'd be curious to find out what people are looking for in a review. Are they looking for a star rating that conforms to their own tastes? Do they want a competent write-up that explains what the album is about? Or is just a matter of wanting to read good writing about a subject they care about? What is everyone's criteria for what deserves a 5-star (or equivalent) rating? There was a post earlier in the thread that said it was a joke that Joplin had achieved this honor, but not TVOTR. I don't agree with that at all. I like TVOTR as much as the next guy, but it may take a few years to assess their impact and decide whether classic status is warranted. I sort of think those kind of ratings are earned, but I know that's not the same for everyone. Surprisingly, The Source used to be the best with their rating system. No one got 5 mics and that ended up making their ratings feel very important. Granted, that magazine has fallen apart over the years, but it's a good example of knowing how to show restraint when praising something new and developing a system that has a lasting impact.

I totally dropped the ball on this last week. Sorry. Let's do two updates this week and then call this thing at the end of February.

I'd peg them both for an OPS around .750. The biggest difference between the two is Francoeur is a competent fielder, while Griffey is at least a -20 defender and that's before we talk about the potential injury implications from having him in the field everyday.

The Spring Training Thread and MLB Offseason Thread are competing for the same news stories and discussion. Maybe we should ax one. I'd vote to switch the discussion to Spring Training now that the Offseason is over, but that's just an opinion.

Word is that Ken Griffey is joining the Braves. Not sure what they are thinking, unless they mistakenly thought that the NL was adding a DH this year. Deal is apparently for $2-3 million so it's not a total albatross if he's cooked. Everyone wanted him to go to Seattle for PR purposes, but it wasn't a good fit. He just doesn't fit into their plans at all and given the budgetary constraints affecting the team, the money could have been better spent elsewhere. I still think they should have gotten in on Dunn, or even Abreu at the prices they went for.

That's too bad for the Hornets. Nice, young team on the rise and they have to tear it apart for purely financial reasons. OKC now has a nice core with Westbrook, Durant, Green and Chandler, with five first round picks and loads of cap room the next two offseasons. They just went from afterthought to potential contender by 2011.

I'm still waiting for another big match or two. Edge vs. Cena, Triple H vs. Orton, HBK vs. Undertaker, Hardy vs. Hardy and Jericho vs. some legend (hopefully Austin) aren't enough big matches for you? Actually, I was just being a jerk since I don't watch WWE at all. However, based on what you posted, no, I don't think that's a very intriguing card. All five of those matches have been done before. The two title matches, in particular, have been way overdone the last few years to the point that they don't mean anything. Granted, WWE is something that has passed me by, but I miss the days when Mania was something special and unique. This may be the biggest card they can put on, but it's nothing out of the ordinary, at least from my perspective.

About 80% of the picks since my last selection were guys that I wanted and was hoping they would fall. No dice.

Good point. I have a tendency to type fast and screw up my thread titles from time to time. There are also situations where the title has nothing to do with whatever we end up talking about. How many times have you avoided a thread for weeks because of the title and then found out there was good discussion going on? It would be great to be able to stay on top of that. Also, I know that the admins each take a part in governing the board, but is there a way that we can get them more closely associated with certain folders? I know to go to Al for Sports or Venk for wrestling, but outside of that it's murky.

Mods, if this is something you aren't interested in, feel free to get rid of it. Technically, this entire folder is designed specifically for feedback, but I thought it would be a good idea to have one thread dedicated to comments and suggestions that the mods checked regularly. Quite often I run across a thread that needs to be split, or subtitles need to be updated or whatever else. Tracking down a mod for, I don't know, music, can be a little difficult. A place where I can throw requests would be nice and if they aren't done, at least know why. I also have tons of shitty ideas that I think would improve the board and having a singular place to bounce them off my peers would be appreciated.

I'm still waiting for another big match or two.

I don't think that I'm familiar with this AmDrag fellow.

Venk's starting to get a little grouchy.

At one time Jay-Z's In My Lifetime had a 5-star rating, but Reasonable Doubt did not. It appears that they have now rectified that mistake. I don't see allmusic as anything other than what it is: a decent reference source. Whether or not you agree with the ratings, the reviews are at least competent and full of information. I don't know where you guys are going to get superior reviews and ratings. The two obvious alternatives, Rolling Stone and Pitchfork, are full of their own quirks and biases as well.

luke-o

Dandy

I just skimmed that site quickly, but didn't notice any "best shape of my/his life" quotes. That's usually the go-to expression this time of year. You could make a drinking game out of these Spring Training cliches.

Can't believe it's that time of year already. I'm positively giddy. Anyways, here are a couple of stories to remind us that, yes, it is in fact spring. Mike Hampton leaves camp (irregular heartbeat) JD Drew's back is acting up