strummer

Yup, it was televised on the MSG Network. I saw it and it was basically an extended squash for Taker with Bret selling his ass off. This was the period where Bret was being buried over the contract dispute.

Cardinals sign Braden Looper to a 3 year deal. Looper's K rate is pathetic but I could see him having a big bounce back year because of the Card's excellent defense.

Saw it tonight, absolutely brilliant, tremendous tremendous film. Best movie I've seen in YEARS. Jack Black just had the role of his career and unless the academy poo poo's on his rep as a "wacky" comedian he'll get nominated for an Oscar. Naomi Watts is stunningly beautiful and gives a very compelling performance.

How anyone can find MAD TV funny is beyond me. For all the SNL hate that has sprung up in the last 10-12 years, MAD TV is 100X worse. The writing is absolutely awful. There are some talented comedians but they never get anything to work with. The one thing I will say is that they treat their female cast members like stars and have even built the show around them (Sullivan, Collins, and Weir mainly), something that SNL really hasn't done consistently I'm not saying that is a positive or a negative, just an observation.

ESPN really blowing Favre. Big suprise. An immortal? OK.

Observer: Man Shelton can't catch a break. He even jobs at a show where near 100% of the faces go over

Meltzer's mailbag this week: Reading between the lines it looks like Hunter is off the juice to try and get Steph pregnant. Rick Rude tried to do the same thing in 1989 and Vince was furious at him and heavily implied to him to go back on the roids. I don't think he will have the same response for H.

Meltzer:

Does anyone have PWI Elite? Scherer names the new RAW GM. Anyone?

Mets sign Jose Valentin to a 1 year deal.

Giants Sign Mark Sweeney

The Pirates have traded Mark Redman to the Royals for Jonah Bayliss and a player to be named later

This rating will further reinforce to Vince that fans don't care about wrestling and that his "vision" is correct

The Braves have traded Johnny Estrada to Arizona for Cormier and Villareal.

Alvarez:

Latroy's flight to Shea apparently has a detour: http://sportsline.com/mlb/story/9080714 Latroy in Camden Yards? Good luck

I would say the Packer love has died down but then I see they get 3 Monday Night games guarenteed every season. They've been a good team since 93, but they didn't deserve all those Monday Night games EVERY season (mainly post 98). They were getting them because of Favre, plain and simple. They got 3 this year despite being a rather mundane (altough division winning) team last year.. I can't see him being that big of a ratings draw. Every segment on Monday Night Countdown for a Packer game is FAVRE FAVRE FAVRE., ohh and they have this new guy name Gato too.

Jacques Jones seems like a Tony LaRussa type player. so I could see that happening. Also, word is that Kevin Millwood is on his way to the Mariners.

Yup, I knew this was happening the moment they did that backstage segment together. Get ready for Steph all over TV again.

It was taped today because they are going to Iraq this week to tape Raw.

Sigh. Paul Lo Duca. The Mets are doing the same thing they did in the late 90s: Trading all their prospects to the Marlins. It will probably benefit them in the short run, but they will pay for it in a few years. The media has significantly overrated LoDuca (Bill Plashcke) for "putting the bat on the ball" and the like, but as Al said he just disappears in the second half.

In all fairness to Coach, he has come out and outright said he doesn't want to be an announcer. Vince makes him do it. He admits that the emotion just isn't there and he comes off as phony with all the screaming and yelling. He just doesn't have the passion for wrestling like other announcers have (Ross, Styles) because he didn't grow up as a fan. They should have him just be a heel manager or mouthpiece because that's what he wants to do and is the role he is best at.

Tom Hanks in "Radio Flyer"

Definitely Jericho. He usually says "Vincent Kennedy McMahon" in his commentary "Shame on all those guys" also sounds like something he would say.

Meltzer's Impact Preview from today's update: There is also the debut tonight of a pro wrestling Hall of Famer. also, in typical cryptic Meltzer fasion he says to expect BIG TNA news by the end of the day. I would assume there is a correlation between the "Hall of Famer" and the big news. also, Impact went up to a .8 rating this week. Team 3D will miss the tapings tonight as there was a miscommunication and they are in Japan.