SinceThe70s

On my way home from work yesterday I was listening to Bart Scott on local radio talking about how when a QB hits the jackpot it affects the teams ability to spread the money around. He was talking specifically about Eli and the Giants and making the point that after Eli got paid the offensive line disintegrated. Got me to thinking that the Packers and Saints may have suffered from that a bit as well. His point wasn't that you don't pay your elite QB, but that you expect your elite QB to be able to overcome deficiencies in the team created by the huge contract. WRT to Bortles, I thought after his putrid passing in the Bills game he was a dead man walking. Kind of strange that his worst playoff game was at home against the Bills as opposed to how he played on the road against the Steelers and Pats.

Is it possible to turn a movie thread into yet another Tyrod thread? I saw Blank Panther today. On the way out my 11 year old told me that half-way through he realized that the Black Panther looks like TT and he couldn't get it out f his head.

I just heard on the radio that Dominc Smith was scheduled to start and bat cleanup today but instead got benched for showing up late. Is it always going to be something with this guy? I hope not.

The team vs. individual dynamic is interesting as well. We all want or expect certain behaviors from the also-rans, but none of us put in the blood, sweat and tears to get where they did, whether it's individual or team. In the end, I didn't like nor would condone what she did, but I won't condemn it either. She was emotional, people are fallible, poop happens.

Just catching up now. #1, I don't see this as a Canadian/American thing. I appreciate that her competitive nature led her to do what she did. I think it's more a slap in the face to Finland and the womens teams that didn't medal. But I don't think that was her intention. I'm also an Islander fan that remembers when Billy Smith refused the post-series handshake. I always gave him credit for owning it and to some extent respected his opinion even though I still thought it was douchey. In the end I just see it as an emotional response by an intense competitor. No biggie.

As I understand it, the Bills FO has coined this the Tag and Release Program. The NFL is a copy-cat league. Nice to be ahead of the curve for a change.

I'm not sold on Strasburg either, but I have to admit he came back strong. Roark was the surprise for me. If he were a Met, you and I might have a higher opinion. Great takes on the Mets staff. A few minor quibbles: I'd put Thor ahead of deGrom but that ignores last years injury. Only comment on Harvey is that I think he lost some of the physical ability and that compounds the head case issues. But I totally agree with you that he can turn it around and we shouldn't turn our back on him. I think Lugo has a bigger upside than just an innings-eater. No better than a #3 though. So what are we celebrating first: a Lombardi for the Bills or a WS for the Mets? And for context, did you get to enjoy 1986?

Also would've won the game if Vinatieri didn't hit the ridiculous 43 yard extra point. Also would've lost without the penalty on the 2-point attempt that preceded Vinatieri's extra point. Crazy indeed (without even mentioning the OT punt).

Bold statement and I hope you're right but my first thought when I read this is 11 AM is way too early for drunk sports talk. Only kidding. But at the same time I think you might be mistaking how good they could be with how good they are. So here's a challenge for ya. We go one division at a time. I pick a team that might have a better rotation than the Mets and you prove me wrong. Starts with the NL East and I'm going with the Nats: Scherzer: this guy is the balls. He won the last two Cy Youngs and nobody on the Mets can match him. Scherzer > Thor Strasburg: it's taken awhile but he is back to dominance. I'd call this a draw Strasburg == DeGrom Gio Gonzalez: 6 years with the Nats...that surprised me. Started strong, faded, but came back strong last year. Solid, dependable, occasionally dominant #3, who is ours? Tanner Roark: I would've dismissed this guy, but 3.41 ERA over 4.5 years and regularly throws 180 innings. Who is doing that for us? A.J. Cole: ESPN has him as the 5th starter. I have no clue about him. I'll concede the 5 spot. So by my count we have these potential starters: Thor DeGrom Harvey Matz Gsellman Lugo Wheeler Vargas What's your rotation and how are they better than the Nats?

I could be totally off base here, but maybe these kids that don't show are getting savvy to the fact that (apart from the photo op when things go well) the draft is about the NFL and not them. Along similar lines, I wonder if he'll have a camera crew in his face wherever he is on draft night waiting to capture the elation or dejection with every pick. Win win for the NFL.

If you want to nitpick, this isn't from a movie, and its not a one-way beatdown:

A quick google search on inhumane: "without compassion for misery or suffering; cruel." And then I read this: Intrigued, I came across this USA Today article: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2018/02/16/new-swiss-law-pain-free-deaths-lobsters-flushing-goldfish-down-toilet-breaking-law-according-new-swi/341412002/ "The first such national legislation of its kind in the world calls for a more humane death for lobsters: “rendering them unconscious” before plunging them into scalding water. Two methods are recommended: electrocution or sedating the lobster by dipping it into saltwater and then thrusting a knife into its brain." Before I can develop an informed opinion on this topic i think I need to delve further into the deleterious short term effects of electrocution and Walking Dead type executions on these tasty crustaceans. Life must be pretty good in Switzerland if this is what keeps their lawmakers occupied.

I remembered it was Johnny Johnson but had to look up the picks and drafted players. Cardinals wanted Garrison Hearst and the Jets wanted Marvin Jones. I guess by including JJ the Jets knew the Cardinals wouldn't steal Jones. So they got their guy and a starting RB. As I recall JJ was pretty good with the Cardinals but didn't do much with the Jets.

This goes back a few years but in 1993 the Phoenix Cardinals traded the 4th pick in the draft and RB Johnny Johnson to the Jets for the 3rd pick in the draft. Cardinals selected RB Garrison Hearst, Jets took LB Marvin Jones.

That was similar to my first thought wrt greybeard's comment/disappointment. My second thought was whether they could leverage previous communications, explain away the missed flight and set up a sting on a different flight. I would expect that the legalities and logistics of either scenario are difficult to work through. Regardless, props to the ticket agent.

There is no I in Austria! Oh wait, there is, never mind. I think the NHL waits for the playoffs for the passion and commitment. Unfortunately, my Islanders don't make the post season enough for me to say for sure.

"Responsible move"....I like that. Can never have too much pitching depth. Maybe more so this year if Calloway has a twice through the order mentality with the starters.

Suspended four games in 2015 for violating the substance abuse policy and 1 game in 2016 for personal conduct (off-season arrest). Had clubhouse issues in 2016 with Brandon Marshall (in fairness that probably cut both ways). From a talent perspective it looks like a no-brainer, but he doesn't look like the type of player McBeane wants.

Around 25 years ago I was privy (!) to a similar scenario from someone I knew briefly , except a stick was the facilitator of choice and I assumed it was a single use scenario. After reading this, perhaps I was wrong. And since we're on bedroom humor, here's a joke I heard two days ago: Why didn't the toilet paper cross the road? Because it got stuck in a crack!

Nice! If you're local, keep the updates coming! TJ seems like the odd man out. That bothers me.

He's been the best for as long as I can remember.

I haven't seen it in ages but I remember it looked like he was on the brink of disaster the whole way down.

Klammer

I'm not sure if this was posted already, just came across it. Bill Burr is one of the few Patriots fans I can stomach. Seems like a genuine sports fan and not a band wagon guy. Even still, I'm glad this was a sucky day for him:

I regret if my tone came off as crybaby. I don't see it, but regardless that was never my intention. I was unaware of the 1972 season and would have appreciated your answer more without the supercilious attitude. But yeah, I never knew that so thanks. I stand by my comment that I've never seen a MLB standing that was rated by winning percentage over games ahead, even early season. Perhaps you can comb the newspapers and prove me wrong. I promise that if you do I will not shed a tear.