the max

In the former he played Jimmy's nephew Theo, a magician and depressed motivational speaker.

I think he was made captain while Linden was with the Islanders.

I've always hated "Flash to the Future" episodes. At least with clip shows, it's to save on animation money/labor. The future episodes are lame. Lisa's Wedding was atrocious. The only redeeming joke that came from the Indian Casino episode was Ned giving Bart money "only because you haven't outed Rod and Todd."

Staind Disturbed In Flames (some of the girlfriend's metal head friends despise them for some reason.)

The only thing that might hurt Francis is his lack of MVP hardware. He had three 100+ point seasons, but only had 30 goals in three seasons as well. He's probably in.

Don't say that to Harold Reynolds. His reasoning was that Andruw was the veteran presence for a young team and he set a Braves single season homerun record. AND he plays great defensive centerfield.

Atlantic: Pittsburgh (3): It's hard to argue with their acquisitions of talent. As much of Crosby actually contributing this year matters, I think they'll be fine. Philadelphia (5): I can't trust Forsberg to stay healthy and productive for the entire season. That's the key. They'll be fine defensively until it actually matters. Then they'll fold. New Jersey (7): Sorry, but losing their two best defensemen and replacing them with Colin White and Brian Rafalski while giving serious minutes to Sean Brown wouldn't exactly fill me with confidence if I were a Devils fan. This is the year that we find out what Marty is really made of. New York Islanders: Miro Satan is a nice addition, but Adrian Aucoin and Roman Hamrlik leaving are going to hurt them a great deal. New York Rangers: Just, no. No. No. Northeast: Ottawa (1): Even losing a player like Hossa, they replaced him. They've always been deep in wing talent and young defensemen, now it's time for them to shine. Boston (4): As much as I ride them, they still are returning good players and debuting some decent enough veterans. Zhamnov may be inconsistant, but hey Bruins fans are used to that! I think the loss of Sergei Gonchar will hurt, and Brian Leetch is merely a bandaid on a severed limb. Their biggest weakness is defense, but offense should make up for it. Is this the year that Joe Thornton actually steps up? Montreal (8): They'll find a way to sneak in. Theodore is that good when he wants to be. I don't like how few changes they've made though. Toronto: Let's see, they lost Roberts who was responsible for a good deal of their offense in the last few years and replaced him with...Jason Allison, who hasn't played in almost two years. They lost Niewendyk who was consistant and replaced him with Eric Lindros. They have holes on defense and Ed Belfour is almost 70 years old with back problems. But hey, it's not like back problems are a chronic thing. Buffalo: A few bright spots, but really. They lost their best player and their current best player (Afinogenov) probably won't stick around for long. Southeast: Tampa Bay (2): Even with "Free Goals" Grahame in net, they have offense and a good defense. Richards is in a contract year and will be looking to up his value for when he "bolts". Florida (6): Roberto Luongo is in a contract year, Nathan Horton is healthy, Anthony Stewart will get playing time and Roberts and Niewendyk will help the maturation of Olli Jokinen. Atlanta: If they can sign Kovalchuk, they might have a fighting chance. But I don't see it happening. Washington: It'll be fun watching Ovechkin score to cut the opposition's lead to five goals. Carolina: They'll be in Florida's skates in a few years. Western Conference tomorrow night...

Lisa's Wedding? Good lord, that was the worst episode of that season.

Anyone that can find me NHL 2005 for the Gamecube, I'll pay for the game and s/h.

If they don't want Papelbon to blow out his arm, try having him mix in a curve or change every now and then. If he throws nothing but gas, he's going to end up like Todd Van Poppel.

Widen that to 3-7. Season 3 is very underrated, I feel. It has such classics as "Homer Defined", "Flaming Moe's", "Homer at the Bat", and "Separate Vocations".

Cause Manny's on deck. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Ding ding ding. It's a case of pick your poison. A guy who LOVES big at-bats or a guy who was seemingly created to drive in runs.

Montreal is basically returning the same team that they had prior to the lockout. Except for Radek Bonk. I can't see that making for the #4 seed in the East.

His post says that they tried to update it and it got messed up. Not that he got hacked.

Because it's become more involved in current events and has a different spin on things. Personally, I like South Park now more than I ever did before, and for the most part Trey and Matt annoy the crap out of me.

Incorrect. Mario 64 is the best Mario game made. I still play that game more than any other game on my 64. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> That's insane. SMB 3 and Super Mario World are about 47,000,000 times better.b <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Mario 3 ranks second behind Mario 64. There's so much in Mario 64 that's new to the player, mostly the fact that it's in 3 fucking D. Mario 3 was another side-scroller (albeit a very good one and one of my favorite games of all time.) As for that Super Mario World nonsense, fuck that. I hated that game. No Mercy has officially run its course with me. I have bought three bugged copies of the game in succession and have now gone exclusively to Revenge. Same control system, missing a few details (CAW and specialty matches), but otherwise it's pretty much the same game. And no bugs.

Incorrect. Mario 64 is the best Mario game made. I still play that game more than any other game on my 64.

http://tsn.ca/nhl/news_story.asp?id=135880 This I don't understand. Kovalchuk is one of the better offensive players under 25 in the NHL (He's 22!). Basically, the Thrashers have until the opening night of the season to sign him to a contract for this season. After that, he has to clear waivers. Waddell says that they want him in Atlanta, but I don't really see that coming from them. They seem to be trying to avoid paying money to their elite players, seemingly hoping for them to sign for peanuts.

You stupid monkey!

Schilling goes today. I'll set the over/under of innings pitched at 5 and take the under. Based on his starts and "relief" appearances, his ankle is clearly still bothering him, but he's trying to tough it out. I'd love to see him go 7 strong, shutout innings but I can't realistically see that happening just yet.

You look like Bud Bundy with Down's Syndrome.

What about Brett Hull Hockey for the Genesis?

Wasn't '95 the year that they stopped letting you make people's heads bleed? I think it was the last year that you were allowed to make their legs flail when they got hurt as well. '94 still smokes it though. The Kings are fucking unstoppable in that game.

Agreed. Stevens decided that being a physical defenseman would work better with Niedermayer being much better that he at the offensive side. 1. Was he ever regarded as the best player in hockey? Did anybody, while he was active, ever suggest that he was the best player in hockey? I don't think so. Stevens was a game-changer because of his ability to seemingly change the momentum of a game with one big hit, but never considered the best player in the game. 2. Was he the best player on his team? I don't think so. In Washington, he shared ice with Mike Gartner (one of the most underrated players in NHL history), Larry Murphy and at the end of his time in Washington, Dino Ciccarelli. With the Blues, he had Brett Hull and Adam Oates. With the Devils, he was the best player on the team until 1993-94, when Martin Brodeur arrived. 3. Was he the best player in at his position? Was he the best player in the league at his position? No and no. 4. Did he have an impact on a number of pennant races? Yes. Stevens was captain for numerous Devils playoff runs. 5. Was he good enough that he could play regularly after passing his prime? Stevens retired at the age of 41. He last played at the age of 40, going out in January with post-concussion syndrome. Even when he was injured, he was one of the best defensemen in the league. 6. Is he the very best player in history who is not in the Hall of Fame? No. 7. Are most players who have comparable statistics in the Hall of Fame? Stevens ranks pretty low as far as statistics go. He tallied 908 points in 1635 games in his career (83rd all-time), which is nothing to sneeze at, but nothing jaw-dropping. He has played in the most games ever by a defenseman, and is fourth all-time in that stat. He is a career +393, which is absolutely tremendous. 8. Do the player's numbers meet Hall of Fame standards? Personally, I don't think he gets in on his numbers. 9. Is there any evidence to suggest that the player was significantly better or worse than is suggested by his statistics? Well, there's the neutral zone trap that made the Devils practically unbeatable until teams figured it out... 10. Is he the best player at his position who is eligible for the Hall of Fame? No. 11. How many MVP-type seasons did he have? Did he ever win an MVP award? If not, how many times was he close? As good a defenseman as he was, Stevens never won a Norris trophy. He was the Conn Smythe winner in 1999-00 after leading the Devils to their second Cup. 12. How many All-Star-type seasons did he have? How many All-Star games did he play in? Did most of the players who played in this many All-Star games go into the Hall of Fame? Stevens made 14 All-Star teams, playing in 13 games (missed his last one due to PCS) 13. If this man were the best player on his team, would it be likely that the team could win the pennant? It's certainly possible. He was the best player on the 1991-92 Devils that made the playoffs, but lost to the Rangers in seven games. 14. What impact did the player have on history? Was he responsible for any rule changes? Did he introduce any new equipment? Did he change the game in any way? Stevens was on a team that made the neutral zone trap a force in the NHL. Stevens changed the game by constantly reminding players to keep their head up while handling the puck. 15. Did the player uphold the standards of sportsmanship and character that the Hall of Fame, in its written guidelines, instructs us to consider? As far as I know, Stevens was a stand-up man. Stevens is a great player. But, I think he's borderline. I think he'll get in, but it might be tough.

For the record, I have always beaten that "couldn't _______ his way out of a paper bag" joke into the ground. And Al MacInnis may be one of the best offensive defenseman to play in this generation. Scott Niedermayer makes a run for it, but MacInnis was consistantly putting up big numbers, in some cases on par with top forwards in the league, and doing it from the point for god's sake. EDIT: For s&g, let's play Keltner list: Al MacInnis 1. Was he ever regarded as the best player in hockey? Did anybody, while he was active, ever suggest that he was the best player in hockey? Never was the best player in hockey. Arguably one of the best defensemen in the league though. 2. Was he the best player on his team? Tough call. In Calgary, the case could be made that he was, but it wasn't definite. His last few years in Calgary might have been overshadowed by Theo Fleury and Rob Reichel. He came to St. Louis and had to deal with Gretzky (in the late stages of his career), Brett Hull, Pierre Turgeon and Chris Pronger. So, MacInnis has always played with pretty good talent. 3. Was he the best player in at his position? Was he the best player in the league at his position? I'd say yes on both. As far as his position, I'm defining it as offensive-defenseman. 4. Did he have an impact on a number of pennant races? Yes. MacInnis was a huge part of the 1988-89 Stanley Cup winning Calgary Flames team. He put up 31 points in 22 postseason games that year. He always had solid years for the Blues come playoff time as well. 5. Was he good enough that he could play regularly after passing his prime? MacInnis will be retiring at 42 years old. He last played in the league at the age of 41, however, missing all of what would be his last season with an eye injury. 6. Is he the very best player in history who is not in the Hall of Fame? No. 7. Are most players who have comparable statistics in the Hall of Fame? Yes. MacInnis is 28th all-time in points. Only Raymond Bourque and Paul Coffey rank higher in total points as a defenseman. 8. Do the player's numbers meet Hall of Fame standards?Absolutely. 3rd all-time in points by a defenseman. 6th all-time in games played by a defenseman. 9. Is there any evidence to suggest that the player was significantly better or worse than is suggested by his statistics? He played with good offensive and defensive talent for a good chunk of his career, allowing him to cheat up on offense (which is his strength). 10. Is he the best player at his position who is eligible for the Hall of Fame? Right now, yes. 11. How many MVP-type seasons did he have? Did he ever win an MVP award? If not, how many times was he close? He won the Conn Smythe (playoff MVP) in 1988-89 and the Norris Trophy in 1998-99 (outstanding defenseman). His career year was 1990-91, where he was bested for the Norris by Raymond Bourque. That year, he put up a career high in goals (28), assists (75)and points (103). Bourque was the better player that year, though. 12. How many All-Star-type seasons did he have? How many All-Star games did he play in? Did most of the players who played in this many All-Star games go into the Hall of Fame? He made 13 All-Star teams, playing in 12 games (he was injured in 2001). By comparison, Raymond Bourque was selected to 19 games and Coffey was selected to 12(?)(I think). 13. If this man were the best player on his team, would it be likely that the team could win the pennant? It's possible, since he was such a threat offensively and defensively. 14. What impact did the player have on history? Was he responsible for any rule changes? Did he introduce any new equipment? Did he change the game in any way? MacInnis didn't revolutionize anything except seemingly improving on a tough position to play; offensive defensman. It's hard to be good offensively and still be defensively responsible. 15. Did the player uphold the standards of sportsmanship and character that the Hall of Fame, in its written guidelines, instructs us to consider? As far as I know. MacInnis is a lock.