Mik

On the satire front, it pales in comparison to Joe Schmo. Most of the things they did were barely even funny. I am curious to see who the real boss is, apparently it's the "biggest surprise in reality TV history", although how many shows have claimed that. I'll probably skip it until the big reveal. Stupid show.

Nov. 6 - Sammy Sosa and Dusty Baker cannot co-exist as Cubs. So will the outfielder be sent to manager Baker's old stomping grounds as a player, Dodger Stadium? The Los Angeles Times reports the Cubs and Dodgers are talking about sending Sosa to L.A. in exchange for rightfielder Shawn Green. The Dodgers want to unload the salary of Green, who turns 32 on Nov. 10, and are apparently willing to take on at least part of Sosa's salary to keep a marquee name in the lineup. Each player has a no-trade clause in his contract and there are other complications that might force the deal to be expanded, the Times reports. Green's six-year, $84 million contract ends next season. He'd rather remain a Dodger but "if something else were to come up, I'd obviously have to deal with it when it came up." The situation in Chicago might be beyond repair. Besides righting things with fans, Sosa, who turns 36 on Nov. 12, will have to make amends with his teammates for leaving a game early without permission, according to the Daily Southtown. Pitcher Kerry Wood reportedly destroyed Sosa's boom box in the Cubs clubhouse after Sosa's early departure, and Mark Prior publicly said Sosa owes the team an apology. Hmmmmm.....

TD Carson Palmer, 2 Yd run (Shayne Graham kick is good), 2:20. Drive: 14 plays, 66 yards in 8:19. I mean, literally.

I love the Borgata. Those outfits push the waitresses breasts up to their eyeballs. When I went - I went with my girlfriend and her mom and dad. Her brother and his friends have high roller cards, so we got into the high roller buffet which had like lobster and steak on it, as well as some of the best ravioli I've ever had in my life. Oh yeah, and free drinks didn't hurt either. Topped it off with $100 win in Blackjack and left. I am very much looking forward to going back to that place.

Houston Astros free agent center fielder Carlos Beltran is seeking a 10-year contract, his agent told a television station on Thursday. "All of the fundamental aspects about the desire of him to stay in Houston and to look at Houston as a serious contender for his services I think are there," Scott Boras said in an interview with KRIV. Boras said Beltran is also interested in a couple of other teams, but he did not name them. He declined to discuss salary figures. "He is going to just go through the process, talk to those teams, and we are going to evaluate the ability of the club to have a winning environment every year, and certainly the economics of it." Astros owner Drayton McLane told the station that the team will not receive the financial parameters from Boras until next week and won't respond until then. Beltran hit .435 in the postseason with a league record-tying eight homers, 14 RBI and 21 runs scored in 12 games. He came to the Astros in a midseason trade from Kansas City, and has few ties to the Houston area. Only a handful of teams will be able to afford the 27-year-old All-Star's soaring price tag -- the New York Yankees likely chief among his suitors. The Chicago Cubs were also said to be interested.

Pretty decent, I thought. Not as good as last week - but there were parts I liked. Cartman just pulling out the violin. Everyone talking about torching Walmart, and then Kyle being the voice of reason, saying that if everyone just stayed away they would go out of business - and then it quickly cuts to the Walmart burnt to the ground. Also when the guy hung himself out the window and for no good reason his pants just fell off and he crapped his pants, that got a little bit of a laugh out of me.

I read something about Rocco Baldelli also potentially tearing something playing a friendly game of baseball with his brother and some friends. It was in the Daily Quickie this morning but I haven't seen anything else.

I'm amazed that Ivana is still around. Every week she contributes nothing, and at the beginning I pegged her as one of the first people fired. I don't understand. And Raj is the man macking on Robin at the end. "Now that I'm allowed to talk to you, how about you give up your number?" Ha.

After taking a back seat to Fox's postseason baseball coverage for two weeks, ABC's hit drama Lost on Wednesday night at 8:00 p.m. scored its highest ratings since its premiere episode, an 11.4 rating and a 17 share. Meanwhile, NBC's decision to move its new LAX to Wednesday night in the same hour to replace the poor-performing Hawaii crash-landed with a 5.3/8. Despite the poor lead-in, NBC's The West Wing jumped ahead of the competition at 9:00 as it registered a 9.0/13. CBS took over the lead at 10:00 with CSI: NY drawing a 9.6/16. ABC's Wife Swap was in second place with a 7.7/13, while NBC's Law & Order dipped to third place with a 7.5/13.

Nah, I just straight up copied and pasted. No work involved. I have FireFox though so maybe that has something to do with it?

Because I like you guys.... Sammy Sosa: Interested Teams: Mets Rockies Marlins Nov. 3 - Cubs GM Jim Hendry has been instructed by ownership to move Sammy Sosa. Although it might be difficult to unload Sosa because of his huge price tag -- his contract immediately becomes guaranteed at $18 million for 2006 and $19 million in 2007 if he's traded -- teams would be interested if the Cubs pick up a portion of the slugger's salary and take a bloated contract off of their hands, the Daily Southtown reported. Sosa endured much critcism last season and already has poured gasoline on the fire this offseason. Upon returning to his winter home in the Domincan Republic, he complained that he was "poorly treated" by manager Dusty Baker and the organization, the Tribune reported. He also said he wants to play "at least another five or six seasons" so he can hit more than 700 home runs. Hendry was mum on Sosa's tirade, but did say he had not heard from the disgruntled star since he walked out early on the final day of the season, refuting Sosa's assertion to a reporter for the Spanish-language newspaper Hoy that "I can assure you that I've asked for forgiveness." The situation in Chicago might be beyond repair. Besides righting things with fans, Sosa will have to make amends with his teammates for bolting early, according to the Southtown. Pitcher Kerry Wood reportedly destroyed Sosa's boom box in the Cubs clubhouse after Sosa's early departure, and Mark Prior publicly said Sosa owes the team an apology. Troy Percival: Teams Interested: Cubs Giants Nov. 3 - Troy Percival is an Angel no more. According to the Los Angeles Times, the team informed him that Francisco Rodriguez would be their new closer, and Percival rejected their offer to return as a setup man. "We don't want to hold Frankie back," GM Bill Stoneman told the newspaper. "He's ready." Percival, 35, a four-time All-Star, earned $7.5 million last season. He joined the 300-save club in July and ranks 12th on the all-time list with 316. "As much as I would love to finish my career with the Angels, I realize a club is best suited with only one closer," said Percival, who has saved 30 games in each of the last seven seasons. Agent Paul Cohen said six teams have expressed interest in signing Percival as a closer. The Angels are eligible to receive two top draft picks as compensation for losing him, but they might have to gamble to get them. If Percival remains unsigned Dec. 7, the Angels must offer him salary arbitration or forfeit the compensatory draft picks. Carlos Beltran: Teams Interested: Yankees Cubs Phillies Astros Mets Nov. 3 - The Astros enjoy a small window (until Nov. 12) during which they have sole negotiating rights with Carlos Beltran, the Houston Chronicle reported. While Beltran and agent Scott Boras have made it clear they will listen to offers into December, this window remains the Astros' only exclusive opportunity -- and will be open only so long. Upon his offseason arrival in Puerto Rico, Beltran said he wanted to listen to the Astros, but they gave him no indication they'd travel to visit him. The teams that have made it known they'll do everything possible to sign the superstar center fielder are the Cubs, Yankees and Phillies. Beltran sent his price tag soaring with remarkable play and uncommon poise during the playoffs. He hit .435 with eight home runs (tying Barry Bonds' record for a single postseason) and 21 runs (setting a new record for a single postseason) in 12 games. According to the New York Post, Mike Cameron won't stand in the way if the Mets want to make a run at Beltran. Cameron has told Met brass he would be willing to switch from center field to right if the team wants to sign Beltran to play center. Carlos Delgado: Teams Interested: Orioles Dodgers Marlins Devil Rays Mariners Mets Rangers Yankees Nov. 3 - After spending 12 seasons in Toronto, Carlos Delgado is hopeful of staying put -- but it's a longshot. Delgado made $18.5 million on a team with a $50 million payroll in 2004, and the Blue Jays likely won't meet his contract demands again. Delgado's powerful lefty bat (.269, 32 HR, 99 RBI last season) hasn't slowed, making the slugger a hot commodity. He could end up in Baltimore, where the Orioles need a regular first baseman. "I would think that's one of the things we'd like to try to get accomplished, to get someone who can play there every day," executive VP Jim Beattie told the Baltimore Sun. "As we look to next year, our thought is for (Rafael Palmeiro) to play mostly at DH …." If the Orioles are serious about Delgado, he certainly will be serious about them, the Washington Post reported. "Baltimore, we are most significantly interested in," his agent David Sloane told the newspaper. "It's a great place to hit. Hitting in that batting order is very interesting to us."

What I meant was - Alex Gonzalez is the best defensive player on the Marlins. He needs to be recognized for that one of these years.

Alex Gonzalez is a better defensive player than Luis Castillo. He needs to win one of these years.

Sorry, man. I live in the United States. Just happened to be in Australia in 2002. Didn't realize the same horses compete in multiple years.

Media Puzzle was the horse that won the race when I attended in 2002. Anyone else remember this horse?

I'm having a hard time with this - I know there has to be something different about them but I can't figure it out. Anybody want to help me out? What has changed in the pictures?

But the point he was trying to make stands - It certainly wouldn't protect Bonds from any steroid relates injuries. Those are the type of things that would happen just taking a shower or sneezing or any other normal every day activity that your muscles just can't handle anymore because of the strain put on them by steroids. That's another reason I think Bonds is steroid free. He's seemingly never on the DL.

Nov. 1 - According to the Chicago Tribune, Ryan Dempster may become the Cubs' closer next season. If he does, he would be one of baseball's best bargains at $2 million. Dempster, who's just 15 months removed from elbow-ligament-replacement surgery, had his contract option for 2005 picked up after going 1-1 with a 3.92 ERA and two saves last season. Despite some control and endurance problems, Dempster held opponents to a .208 batting average in 23 appearances.

Anybody see 60 minutes? It was mostly a piece about how the week shapes up, etc. But they showed Ashlee run off the stage crying in dress rehearsal and then run off the stage after she screwed up. The very serious 60 minutes annoucer was like, "And when things went wrong, Simpson did a funny little dance." It was an interesting piece. I'm sure Bob Barron could have told us all the behind the scenes info though.

According to ESPN insider - the Phillies are prepared to do whatever it takes to sign Carlos Beltran. Take that with a grain of salt.

Castillo's contract is going to end up costing the Marlins in the long run - his production will drop huge by the end of it. It's already starting. The Marlins have another OF who is in the Juan Pierre prototype - his name is Eric Reed and he's currently doing quite well in the AFL. That doesn't help with 2B though. As for Pierre - I love him. Hardcore sabrmetricians will probably say that he doesn't walk enough for a lead off hitter and they're probably right. However, he lead the NL in hits - didn't miss an inning and lead the league in at bats. Aside from his celebratory rap, he's been nothing but good news since Florida got him. I think this is the year Beckett pulls it all together. I tell myself this every year, but he's TOO talented for it to not happen one of these years. As for Burnett - after his first few rocky outings he was quite spectacular until he got injured again at the end of the season. I think he'll put up a great year. And Dontrelle - 9 IP, 3 H one night and 4 IP, 7 ER the next. I doubt that will ever change. From other boards I read the big rumor is that the Marlins are after Pedro. I don't like it, personally. Others are thinking they can land Beltran - but I think they are dreaming. I'm hoping that everyone passes on Carlos Delgado and the Marlins can get him really cheap. The key to their success is a left handed power bat in the middle of the lineup, and Jeremy Hermida is a year and change away from the show. The Marlins will contend again next year.

I see one little piece of info Gammons mentioned that most might ignore, but shouldn't. Jose Capellan is a Braves farm hand, he throws 100 mph. He's 23 and has thrown even harder since Tommy John surgery in 2001. He will start the season as the 4 or 5 most likely - but I have a sneaking feeling he'll be one of the reasons the Braves stay in contention AGAIN.

Man, am I pissed that I didn't go to the game. I can hear the stadium from here - I only live a mile or so away from Kenan stadium. Watched it on TV but I would have really loved to have been there. Go Heels! Connor Barth 42 yarder wins it. UNC! UNC!

My first year at UNC. Good to see them at number 3. Hoping to get tickets through the insane bracelet distribution. The Roy Williams choke stayed in Kansas!

So where have you lived the past 3 years?