yungmack

To paraphrase Anatole France, "The great thing about the libertarian free market is that the rich man has as much right as the poor man to live in a cardboard box on Skid Row."

I didn't see this mentioned yet but a big side effect of the new rookie pay scale is that the top draft picks should be able to sign almost immediately from now on. Certainly there's no more need for long holdouts, and possibly a lot less of agents and their games.

Now that's a good, level-headed summation of the situation.

This is growing tedious. Both of you have well-stated your beliefs and nothing further said is going to change either of your opinions. So, one of you has to elect to stop the exchange. A couple of things that should be considered is that there should be more money for FAs and current roster players because a rookie cap is most certainly going to be a part of the settlement. And secondly, while we all focus on the salary CAP, there's also a salary FLOOR, which is the minimum a team can spend on players. From what I've heard, this will be RAISED under the new CBA. Combine that with the money saved under the rookie cap, and I'd guess the Merriman signing won't make a dent in the Bills ability to go after FAs (although they might be better off using any "windfall" money to shore up the contracts of current players). FWIW, after following this thread, I come down on the side that the Merriman signing makes great sense, with the potential payoff being worth the (relatively) small risk.

Your argument is undercut, at least in Los Angeles, by the support for the Dodgers, who have not won a World Series since 1988. They have had some very poor years in that stretch and yet have consistently led MLB (or been close to the top) in attendance all that time with the exception of this year when fans have been in revolt over the massive suckitude of the ownership. They have also drawn well on radio and television during this time. And this is in an area that really does have good weather, a huge amount of high-quality alternatives and a massive percentage of residents from other parts of the US and the world. The reason for this is, I believe, that there are lots of real fans of baseball and of the Dodgers. They live and die with the team. They can't help themselves; it's in the blood. It's very similar to fans of the Bills who know the game, know the history of the sport and of their team, and love both of them no matter what. And the real reason many other cities are either tepid or erratic in the support of their NFL team is that they do not have that sense of commitment. Here's hoping both the Bills and the Dodgers are headed for better days.

Really? Do you have any facts and figures on this?

Mackey, who was from Long Island and a star at Syracuse, was an early and unrelenting force for players rights. He was the first head of the NFLPA, in which post he was often in confrontation with the owners. He was responsible for getting the players their health plan and fought for free agency (which the players got, only to bargain it away later on). Mackey only made it into the HOF in his 15th and final year of eligibility. So, the answer to your question is, I believe, pettiness on the owners part. BTW, when he finally got in the HOF, he refused to accept the ring in Indianapolis. He would only accept it in Baltimore, even though they didn't have an NFL team at the time. That very much sums up the kind of man he was.

That was great. Thanks for the link.

I think it's safe to say that until your starting roster is completely filled with sure-fire Hall of Famers, you can always improve. So maybe, yeah, the Bills could add another RT in FA. But the front office seems very happy with all the guys they currently have vying for the starting slot. And maybe they see other positions that are more in need of immediate improvement. If so, then with a drastically shortened FA signing period (and training period), I'd guess they'll spend their money and limited time on them.

The league also pretends that the Bills fan base and potential for an enthusiastic following somehow peters out and dies right in the middle of the Peace Bridge, as if Canada really didn't exist. If you consider the Toronto/lower Ontario area as capable of receiving broadcasts, and possibly having an interest in football, as a rational person or business would do, then the Bills actually are in one of the bigger markets in North America. The league cannot be unaware of that mass of humanity that begins as soon as you cross the bridge, yet it goes on acting as if it doesn't exist. I find that weird, and worthy of a conspiracy theory.

I like that they're talking about a ten year contract.

Well said, Rockpile. But then, I expect nothing less from you.

You, sir, are a history-ignorant knucklehead. First off, there were three franchises that moved outta LA (you apparently forgot the Chargers). Secondly, the fans in LA strongly supported both the Rams and Raiders (and there are still hard-core supporters of both, possibly more in sheer numbers than Bills fans in WNY). The Rams did just fine in LA, recording some of the largest crowds in NFL history. The reason they moved to Orange County was strictly about money: ownership got subsidized directly to do so. And the move to St. Louis was more (much more) of the same, with big chunks of dough going directly into Georgia Frontiere's capacious handbag. The same was true for the Raiders. When LA taxpayers refused to build him a stadium for free, he wangled a deal out of Alameda County (How's that workin' out, Al?). The problem was never with fan support but all about "maximizing" ownership profits through blackmail of the taxpayers. LA refused; St. Louis and Oakland pulled down their pants and bent over because, you know, without an NFL franchise in your city, life's not worth living. FWIW, Al Davis still claims that LA is his "territory" and will demand indemnification from any team that moves into Los Angeles. How he figures that is beyond me but it's always dangerous to bet against him when it comes to litigation. I saw a reporter on the news the other day who said that "as soon as Al hears the sound of that first shovel at a new stadium, he'll have the trucks heading south on the I-5." So count on Al to make putting a franchise or two in LA a complicated headache One last thing: while you'd have no trouble finding any number of Rams, Raiders or Charger fans in LA, you'd be hard pressed to find a single person who supports using one penny of taxpayer money to bring them to town. Which is not to say that Philip Anschutz, the devout fundamental christian billionaire behind AEG, won't find yet another corrupt, behind-the-scenes way to get what he wants in the end. As the US comes to more and more resemble late empire Rome, the necessity of keeping un- and under-employed citizens distracted with bread and circuses is likely to become more attractive to nervous politicians who can imagine the snick of the guillotine.

I very much liked Tim Russert and was deeply saddened by his untimely death. As to his kid, he's interchangeable with thousands of other "TV personalities." Clearly, the reason he has the job is his last name. His father had a wide and deep background in all sorts of political activity before going to journalism which certainly is a good part of the reason he was such a compelling host once he moved into that stage of his life. In his kid's case, his life experience is what? He should be off doing other things for ten or twenty years.

You know the old saying, it's not what you know, it's who you know.

And I'm sure he got the job based strictly on his journalism background.

Nice analysis.

It shouldn't even be a question.

Any person or entity with an equity position in a film has a clause in the contract that allows an audit of the books. Not that it matters much; in the world of Hollywood accounting, I'm sure Gone With The Wind has yet to break even.

Nice post. I can support that 100%.

Under the American system of law (like that matters anymore), OJ did not kill two people. I followed the trial very, very closely, and did quite a bit of research for professional reasons. My conclusion: he did not kill those people (but he might very well know who did).

I have no idea how the structure of this poll works. For me, Fitz is in the middle third of starters, probably between 18-22.

I do that "retention" thing with my overall bill.

Um, baseball does have a draft. The disparity comes from not sharing revenue as the NFL does, not from lack of a draft.

About 20 years ago or so, my mother sent me a t-shirt that said on it, "I love you Buffalo." So far, so good. But after the "I Love You," and again after "Buffalo," the company placed those little trademark logos. I just thought, what brass ones they had to think they could copyright "I Love You" and "Buffalo." There was nothing else on the shirt, no artwork, etc, just those words. I wonder if they ever tried to sue somebody for "infringement" on their "intellectual property."