SageAgainstTheMachine

Haha, well that's the problem. It's referenced in so many other threads, that I think it's virtually impossible to find the original.

Strasburg's role is going to be limited this season, even if he dazzles. I don't have a link, but the Nationals are holding him to 160 innings maximum, including the innings he's been throwing in the minors. On top of that, they probably won't ever allow him to eclipse 100 pitches in any game. All that said, I'm greatly anticipating his start on the 8th. I won't buy into the kid until he starts getting it done at the top level, but potential like this doesn't come along every day.

I hear about this Ed a lot...what were the nature of his antics? Also while I'm at it...what the hell is 3.5? I see this constantly mentioned sardonically.

No, like missing a 3-foot putt on the 18th hole and losing by a stroke, versus missing a 3-foot putt on the 6th hole and losing by a stroke. In one case, you can correctly say you would have forced a playoff with a make. In the other case, that cannot be assumed. I'm not disagreeing that it's part of the game...but the situation just isn't the same, and I don't think that's debatable.

Like I said, I've reversed my position on Joyce being punished at all. But missing that call in the 3rd inning does not mean the same thing, even if it is the same thing.

Well actually there is a difference between missing the call in the 3rd and missing it in the 9th with 2 outs. If it's in the 3rd, you have to use the fallacy of the predetermined outcome to assume that things would've happened exactly the same way if the call had been made correctly. In the scenario yesterday, it was very binary. Either perfect game or no perfect game.

I was just about to say that nobody would be stupid enough to bet on a perfect game happening, but then I remembered about the megamillions jackpot.

People making unnecessary sounds at the movies in general. I despise it when a big group of 13-14 year old kids saunters into the theatre, and you just know they're gonna sit in the row behind you and talk the whole f*cking time.

Yeah, I use my phone on vibrate as an alarm...much more soothing to wake up to. My least favorite sound? "Is it in?"

Wait a minute...you think baseball is fixed? Do you mean that in the sense that the lack of a salary cap has created an uneven playing field, or do you actually think there's umpires on teams' payrolls, players intentionally throwing games, etc?

I think that sets a very bad precedent...no instant replay, but the commish is allowed to just wave his magic wand and alter history? Wouldn't sit right with me, even if it is fair.

Sorry, I had a lapse in judgment. Your opinion makes you an idiot, and furthermore I think you are a bad person for it.

That was a beautiful article by Posnanski, and I have to say I've changed my opinion of the whole thing after spending time thinking about it. What changed my mind is the way that Galarraga reacted to the whole thing...no anger, no vitriol, just disappointment. If Armando Galarraga can be so forgiving to the man who wronged him, what right do I have to judge and be angry? Chef, you're right and I was wrong...it's just a baseball game. If people can't get over this, it's their own fault and not Jim Joyce's. He made a mistake. It came at a horrible time. Unfortunately for him, his name will be infamous among baseball fans. But that doesn't mean he should be fired, or even that he deserves any repercussions. This wasn't an embarrassing moment for MLB. This was an embarrassing moment for a man whose job description involves making hundred and thousands of judgment calls during a season. Inevitably, he'll get some of those wrong.

That's where the first base umpire always stands, as to prevent his body from being involved in the play.

Well, to each his own. I just like knowing things, no matter how dumb the topic is. I'll make sure to give you a shout out when Spongebob is the correct answer to Final Jeopardy on one of my future appearances.

Diane Kruger is Helen ( ) and I believe Eric Bana is Hector, if I'm not mistaken.

Nope, I'm not buying it. Life's not fair...if an employee at any company makes a mistake this disastrous, he loses his job. Even if it's a small mistake and it's the context that magnifies it. If you made a small mistake in cooking a dish, but that small mistake ended up making someone seriously sick or killing them, you'd be looking for a new job. That's just life.

Sorry, but that's BS. Imagine your golf ball rolling toward the hole for a hole-in-one, but stopping a centimeter short. Imagine bowling 11 straight strikes, but then marking a 9 on the final frame with the pin wobbling back and forward. Now imagine those things happening, but it wasn't even your own fault...some guy screwed you out of it. Also, millions of people are watching. That's what Armando Galarraga is feeling right now. This is going to give him nightmares for the rest of his life.

Screw getting fired, I'll admire Joyce's cojones if he doesn't just up and quit tomorrow. That would probably be the smart thing.

Does this automatically go down as the worst call in the history of sports? You could certainly make a case for it. Despite the recent rash of perfect games, they happen once every 5 years on average...and Jim Joyce just spoiled it for everybody. I figured even if Donald was a safe by a little bit, Joyce would call him out just to save himself from the booing. But he was out by more than half a step! I could see it easily from my living room sofa!

Hmm, gotta bone up on the pop culture there, Chef. I consider myself a trivia buff and take pride in knowing about things that I don't actually care about...just general awareness.

Same point as any commercial...trying to get more money. In this instance, trying to get more money out of gay people and champions of gay rights.

Well, it depends on what the list is measuring. If it's referring to the top 100 in terms of pure influence, then Spongebob is certainly one of the most influential. Absolutely ubiquitous among the kiddie crowd.

He got 14th on this particular list, but there's only one greatest character of the past 20 years. The Dude abides.

Funny stuff, Jack. Given that the actor portraying the retarded policeman is actually retarded, I don't see anything wrong with laughing because he's clearly capable of laughing at himself. "Can I go now?" HAHAHA