The Dean

Time for my Christmas morning nog. Almost wish I had coconut rum to add to it. Bourbon it is!

Not to beat this horse to death, but... I won't speculate on whether Donte has driven drunk in the past. Possibly he has. But this is a unique situation, IMO. He wasn't leaving a bar/party/nightclub. He had residual alcohol in his bloodstream after waking up. How many people, even those who make damn sure they don't drive home drunk, might blow over a .08 in the morning? You don't have a buzz. The morning grogginess likely masks any left over alcohol effects. By the time you shower and leave the house you probably feel fine, and have no thought of last night's drinking. Unless you keep a breathalyzer in the house, how would you know what your blood alcohol level? Yes, Stallworth's blood alcohol was well above the legal limit (.08), but let's not pretend that everyone feels/acts the same given the same blood alcohol level. They may all be legally drunk, but some may exhibit few signs or not feel much different. Add the circumstances of waking up to the mix and I think you may have a guy who could be very careful not to drive drunk in typical situations, not even considering last night's consumption, here. Let's make something clear. I'm not excusing Donte because of this, but it adds context that should be used when evaluating the severity of the situation. In out current state of fear, people would blame Stallworth even if he were stopped at a red light and someone plowed into him, had his blood alcohol been found to be above the legal limit. Often alcohol plays the major role in an accident, sometimes it is a contributing factor and then there are times when it likely had no impact whatsoever in the situation. As I wasn't there, I can only speculate. But hitting a guy darting across a highway right before dawn, probably falls into one of the latter two categories. Finally, let's remember the reason he is "guilty" of vehicular manslaughter is because he choose to plead guilty. Most anyone else would likely not have that tag associated with them, as they would have fought these charges, and very possibly would have beaten them. The incident doesn't change, but the punishment and labels do.

G'night. Merry Christmas.

I can understand that position. But the award was given by his teammates. They don't seem to share your concerns here. And, IMO Stallworth fits the "murdering drunk" definition the way Tony Washington fits "sex offender". By the strict definition what they did gets them that label. But in context it isn't anywhere near severe as the label would imply. Sometimes circumstance really are important. And, since none of us are without making some big mistakes. One way to judge another person is the way they handle themselves when they make those mistakes and what they do afterward.

Oh, I have the inventory and it is in excellent shape. Truth is, I just don't smoke all that often, or all that much when I do. I may opt to take a couple of puffs before bed, and skip the pain meds. That's a healthy trade-off, IMO.

Agreed, but this isn't the measure of fandom. If the Bills simply covered the seats they can't sell for games like this, they'd sell out irrespective of their record. Anyway, enjoy your rest and have a Merry Christmas!

Bravo! You linked to an article by a blogger who, like you, omitted and distorted key elements of the incident.

Could be.

They cover about 10,000 seats in their stadium for the Jags. That helps those fake sellout numbers. They have also needed the help of local businesses to sell out. You also should factor in their record (they have been in the thick of the playoff race) and the difference in weather conditions between J-Ville and Buffalo. There is little chance the Jags sell out, when nothing is at stake, in bad weather. In fact, they wouldn't sell enough seats (counting the covered seats) to make the purchase of the remaining tickets very possible.

No weed today. Yet.

Sure. Why not? I think it might be sensational, actually. I am currently sucking on a nog with some bourbon. My bro, who really can't drink for health reasons, is sipping a nog with just a touch of dark rum. I had a sip, it was fine. EDIT: Of course, I would be remiss not to ask: Why is coconut rum the only thing you have? Hell, why do you even have coconut rum?

You sure about that? Some fairly recent northern NFL stadiums include: New Meadowlands Stadium 2010. Open air Gillette Stadium 2002. Open air Heinz Field 2001. Open air Cleveland Browns Stadium 1999. Open air. Of course there are examples of domed/retractable stadiums as well, as well as other open air stadiums in cities with iffy weather (Mile High, for example). Do you also know for fact if Lambeau will be replaced with a covered field? What about Soldier Field? Arrowhead? Are they all destined to be replaced with covered stadiums?

So, what you are saying here is, "Yes, I am that narrow minded, dammit!" Right?

Sure. In the spirit of the season, I'll help you connect the dots. The question that remains unanswered is, "Are you really that narrow-minded?" And let me expand to help you focus a response. Do you think that, because you did that approach and it worked for you, that it is the right approach for everyone/anyone?

Sure. Fine. The question remains.

Freakin' snitch! Merry Happy to you, Mrs. and The Boy.

Except for that 63-yard FG. He made it by a foot and a half.

Why? Because that's what you would do? Are you really that narrow-minded?

That's a hell of a compliment coming from a Polack.

Don't get me wrong, il Senatore. I hope you are right about this weekend and I wouldn't mind seeing Mr. Carimi in a Bills uni. I just know that your predictions are typically the kiss of death. Why not pick AGAINST the Bills once in a while? Give them a fighting chance, man!

Actually I thought the penalty for the gun was stupid. A fine I can understand, but it didn't deserve the flag. Like you, I don't care if they fine him. He knows that going in.

I have absolutely no use for Arcade Fire. I'm offended by the suggestion, actually. (There should be a turned-up nose/snob smiley.) I'll see what Janelle has to offer. I'm guessing my typical disdain for pop will kill that deal. I am looking around in jazz and this looks interesting. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_29?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-music&field-keywords=bill+charlap+and+renee+rosnes&x=0&y=0&sprefix=bill+charlap+and+renee+rosnes Too bad it isn't $3.99

Unfortunately nothing on that list for me. http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000646051

I agree. But he is also a highly paid professional. If he gets his TD at a meaningful time (not when the Bills are down by 30 points) and doesn't cost the team a 15-yard penalty, I say let the kid have some fun. Would I prefer he just hand the ball to the ref? Yes...well, maybe. But I'm a 53-year old white male. To think the players should all behave to MY sensibilities would be completely arrogant, wouldn't it? There are all sorts of fans, and players. Why do some feel the need to make them all conform to one restrictive standard? This is NOT the military. As long as he isn't hurting the team, I'm fine with some fun.