Steve J. Rogers

Put me on the waiting list. Thanks

Yeah but if that happened here in the States, wouldn't Rivera be brought up on criminal neglience charges? Wouldn't there be stories all over questioning the excessive useage of electricity for the pool? Seems awfully like things got all hush hush because its Rivera and its the Yankees and Rivera's inlaws don't want to lose their "money train" I don't know, I'm just asking considering I got myself in a huge war on a forum with people who despise Rivera because of the incident which would be one thing if the public perception of Rivera was really unknown (i.e. Chris Benoit) or if he was seen as a Pedro Martinez kind of flake or a Barry Bonds type of ahole, but because Rivera's off the field perception is that of a kind, decent, spirtiual and giving person I'm taken aback when people label Rivera as a murderer of puppies and children when they don't know the whole story and they treat the fact that Rivera has a pool in Panama like its a suburban neighboorhood here in the states. So it just seems odd that people feel this way, I'm wondering if there are others who feel the same way or is it just one group of passionate Yankee haters that will take one stupid incident and over blow it.

I think someone would have been the guinea pig that SkyDome (even though I'm partial to the name (no relation), heh, I would prefer using original names of buildings created before all the naming rights craze) was. My guess is Seattle would have been the first as well as football stadia such as Phoenix (okay it just opened but still) but I'm sure thats where the technology was going and that someonelse would have been the pioneer if it wasn't SkyDome.

Now that I think of it, as much I hate to say it, would the WWF/E still be around had Montreal never happened? Probably not. No springboard for Vince/Austin. Austin was still going to become the flag carrier, and rightfully, but if he takes the title, Wrestlemania could have been infinitely different: Maybe Owen, Bulldog, and Neidhart vs. HHH, Chyna, and Tyson in the semi main event? But where's HBK in all this? Facing Shamrock instead of the Rock at WM14? Now we're talking about drastically changing a landmark (and still wildly entertaining) Wrestlemania 14. And he hadn't even considered who his opponents might have been after winning. And I'm really gonna hate to say this: Maybe had Bret still been around, we wouldn't have seen HBK-Taker at RR'98, which meant a little more time in the spotlight for HBK? It wouldn't be enough to save the company the way Austin/Vince did, but HBK along with DX could have at least kept the WWF going financially. But does that continue the Harts vs DX into 2008? Where's the Nation in all this? DX vs Nation was a tremendous feud in the summer of 98, but a lot of that was fuelled by Owen Hart. Coupled with the prospect of him not being fighting for the IC title at WM14, does the Rock springboard into one of the biggest names in the history of wrestling? Look at the re-writing of history that would have happened, some of them the most integral moments in wrestling ever. As much as a mark for the Harts as I am, had Montreal not happened, They would have come up with some way to turn Vince heel to give the face Austin an authority figure to battle after winning the belt. Though at that point many pro-WCW anti-WWF fans/media members would cry "Awww they are copying what Bischoff is doing" instead of the heel Vince, or "Mr. McMahon" being born out of the real Montreal screwjob and all that is known about Vince behind the scenes through the years. Also if Bret never leaves, does that mean Sting wins clean at Starrcade without any of the nonsense that turned it into one of the biggest letdowns in wrestling history, and the start of the slow decline? Seemed like Bret Hart's arrival mucked up whatever long term plan that WCW thought they had. Not to mention Hogan's and Nash's egos but thats another story

Hard to believe that just before the Cards started to become the class of the National League, in terms of championships won the Dodgers lead with postseason apperances, they were the franchise leader in most losses.

Nope, there was plenty of suitors that wanted to keep the A's in Philly, it was part of an elaborate set up that the A's ended up where they did, and not untill Charlie O Finley took over the reigns the A's were essentially a Yankee minor league affiliate. Check this book out for the whole story of how the Yankees orchestrated the existence of someone in Kansas City to get into MLB and then how the A's fell into their laps The Kansas City A's and the Wrong Half of the Yankees: How the Yankees Controlled Two of the Eight American League Franchises During the 1950s

I don't think they ever officially called themselves "The New Freebirds" on official WWF merchandise and TV graphics. Oh sure Michael P. Hayes was their manager and all but I think they were still just Matt & Jeff Hardy

Had this discussion on another board some time ago, and granted it has nothing to do with some imbalance that causes a man to suddenly snap and deliberatly murder his wife, 4 year old child and then himself but the turning on Chris Benoit by many fans made me think of the situation in October of 2004 when two relatives of Mariano Rivera's were electrocuted in Mo's pool in Panama because Rivera essentially wanted wild dogs and Lord knows what or who else would go onto his property dead. So this is kind of a two part question, I mean, I haven't heard Rivera's wife's cousin's family (well his wife's family of course) try to get a wrongful death suit against Mo for the deaths of her cousin and his son in 2004. I don't mean to suggest criminal neglect, nor am I suggesting that Mo's home in Panama should be open 24/7 for all critters and people to just walk in (though the deadly force may seem excessive) I'm just trying to resolve in my head how I haven't heard anything else about the accident since it occurred, maybe I've just been growing up in too litigious of a society, where if a burgler breaks his leg while tripping over something in the house that he is robbing he can sue the home owner successfully, and I would think Mo's in-laws have a stronger case. And the second, which ties in with Chris Benoit, (and as I said, yes this is not even apples and organges but more like apples and sirloin steak) does one tragic incidient where the only issue is one of criminal neglience and not that he deliberatly set to murder two relatives, where a man who's public image has been very pristene (I mean look at all the good works Rivera does for Panama and there is talk of him becoming a minister down there after he retires) all of a sudden has all of that erased to the point where people hate him just because of the incident.

Here is a great baseball one with many, many implications What if Walter O'Malley gets his way and gets to build his new Dodger ballpark in Brooklyn on the area of land with plenty of parking spaces and direct access to the railroad (a lot of Dodger fans moved out of Brooklyn and to Long Island, and Westchester, hence why attendance numbers dwindled during the last few years) that Ebbets did not enjoy. Or what if O'Malley says the heck with "Brooklyn" and agrees to move into a stadium proposed by Robert Moses to be built where the NY Worlds Fair was (and soon to be held) out in Flushing Meadows, Queens, in other words what is today Shea Stadium. Clearly LA would be in line for an expansion team, probably Frisco as well. Would The Giants follow suit? Or would Stoneham, without enticement from O'Malley go forward with his plan to transfer to Minnesota. So where do the original Senators go when they up and move? Or do they? Do the Dodgers have the same trajectory that they have enjoyed in Los Angeles? Was a change to a pitchers paradise really all that Sandford Koufax needed to become an icon? Could he have gotten it together here? Heh, when the NL expands do they dare try to replace the Giants and put a third team in New York? Is that Dodger era that only won 1 championship in 10 years remembered so fondly today or are they given the same treatment as the Braves of the 90s-00s or the Bills of the 90s?

Highly doubtful. Bobby Bonilla and John Smiley were not returning the next season, it was clear that the Pirates were going into "small market that can not compete with the big markets" mode by that time.

Has pretty much NOTHING to do with Chris Benoit, but I was reminded recently of this turn of the century Major League baseball catcher who, well, committed the same acts that Chris Benoit did The article of his obit from Jan. 12th 1900 is scanned in as a picture on this site: Marty Bergen, Boston Red Sox More from Baseball-Almanac.com Not exactly sure what I'm saying as this would happen even to a "non-notable" person but just an interesting observation I guess.

Mets -What if Doc Gooden & Darryl Strawberry had not succumed to their demons. -What if the Mets had won Game 3 of the 1988 NLCS. They go up 2 games to 1 and many feel Scioscia's homer against Gooden was the start of the downfall for that era -What if the Mets either don't make the Kazmir for Zambrano trade or trade someonelse that the media/fans wouldn't create the mother of all shit storms with the backlash after the trade falls apart. Is Jim Duquette still the GM? Is Art Howe still the manager? Are the Wilpons still pulling way too many strings? -What if the Mets end up losing Game 6 of the 1986 NLCS, do they beat Mike Scott the next day? Several Mets are still of the belief that they would have found a way to win.

4 on WWF TV, won the "WCW" belts with Test in September of 01 and then the two won the WWF belts about a month later. He also won with Goldust and RVD Harlem Heat was a 10 time WCW World Tag champions, the aforementioned 4 would be the only titles Booker has won without Stevie Ray

62 Chris Jericho 1/23/2000 New York Royal Rumble Beat Chyna and Bob Holly in Triple Threat match for sole posession

Another inneresting tidbit, 111 (I also counted El Gran Hamada/Perro Aguayo's UWA reign when it was part of the WWF as well, neither men are listed in that 200+ list I posted above) men have held a tag belt just once.

BTW, the other day I walked into a local Kay-Bee toy store (Westchester County, New York) and saw the latest Benoit figures at the normal price as the others on the shelf for about $5 (Backlash figures from the Aggression line I believe) the employee I talked to knew about what had happened, but said they weren't given any notice to remove it from the shelves. Just odd, but then again toy shop employees (and retail in general) are generally the last to know about a lot of things, it could be that the missive was sent and they never got around to reading the letter or getting the message yet!

Note to self, maybe I should stop playing with Karma in such a way with my favorite ball club. 11-3 in the 8th, Vargas' line IP H R ER BB K HR Season ERA J. Vargas 3.1 11 9 9 2 2 2 12.19 Dear me, I thought with the humidor at Coors the effect would change for both teams, not just the Rockies? Or are incoming staffs all acting like nothing has changed?

The end of the long road for Austin and the true moment that the Attitude Era officially went underway, and the beginning of the end for The Monday Night Wars Hogan joins the then unnamed nWo

BTW, The Dudleys/Team 3D have 8 more titles from ECW and, I guess you have to say two more in TNA since they have new belts now since the split. With Animal winning a title sans Hawk I wonder if that total of 20 is the most of any tag team champions without one of its members winning a championship belt with a different partner.

Christian has 10 too, doesn't he? 9; 7 with Edge (all WWF belts (currently on Raw of course) both are 2nd all time to the Dudley's 10 different tag titles and 8 WWF tag titles) 1 each with Lance Storm and Chris Jericho And yes this includes their Los Conquistador "run" Edge also has titles with Chris Benoit (2) Rey Mysterio Jr, Hulk Hogan and Randy Orton Billy Gunn won with Road Dogg (5), Bart (3), and Chuck Palumbo (2) Kane won with Undertaker (3), Mankind (2), X-Pac (2), Hurricane, RVD, and The Big Show Neither Dudley won a tag title without each other

Yup, its Edge, followed by Billy Gunn, Kane, Bubba and D-Von all with 10.

BTW, the leader with most times holding a specific belt is Raven with 26 Hardcore titles. The leader for non-joke singles titles is Moolah with 8 Womens titles (one as Slave Girl and another as Spider Lady) and Chris Jericho with 8 IC Title reigns (includes his sharing with Chyna) I believe Edge leads the tag race with 12 but I'm working on that list right now.

Its possible Rock had his "...drink a tall glass of SHUT UP JUICE!" catchphrase used as a attack on Juvi's gimmick. What do you mean by possible? That's exactly what it was. Was that ever actually confirmed? I.e. did Rocky ever use the line before Juvi started the Rock ripoff gimmick?

The centerpiece of your fantasy team? Let me guess... it's been a rough year. HA! Well he was my first pitcher chosen, and I pretty much forgot to add a pen after drafting a couple of middle relievers. I do have a kicking offense though. Essentially I'm the (insert your favorite late 90s early 00s team that went heavy into offense but not so much with the pitching) of that league.

Its possible Rock had his "...drink a tall glass of SHUT UP JUICE!" catchphrase used as a attack on Juvi's gimmick.