UConn James

... Unless you're Michigan (they went to the Rose Bowl last year. Seriously!) or one of the other perennial favorites that depend on historical performance rather than current year performance. If you're not one of the teams everybody always has a crush on, you have no chance. An 8-team playoff, as many propose, still means that most teams have no chance, but it can ensure that the best of those 8 teams wins, rather than the best of the top two whom the media / vague computer formula hearts.

First off, Obama, despite some gaffes, showed that he can at least keep pace with the big dogs. While some here are chastising him about his several "I agree with..." comments, I don't see what the big deal is; two people can't agree on some issues? There needs to be diametric opposition? Didn't hear nearly as many "ahhh"s as some people here are saying so I don't know where you're getting that from. Noted also that answer to the "what would you cut" question was all things that he would fund, and felt, too, that McCain missed a big opportunity for a zinger there while everyone was watching. That Iraq talk was right out of the 2004 election --- Obama failed to make that relevant to today and the future, point: McCain. Probably should have said something that he was worried, especially wrt Iran, a McCain admin with past wordage in mind, would repeat such a mistake. McCain, as expected, just looked uneasy up there. Very impersonal. He made several attempts at humor that the debate's format ensured fell flat, and times when he was giving a line that supposed to be followed by canned stump speech applause were just plain awkward. Early on, he was trying too hard. Also, he made mention of height difference b/w North and South Koreans and then dropped it w/o making any point at all --- WTF was that about? Entirely out of left field. Wasn't impressed with his "Obama just doesn't understand..." comments, when it was pretty clear that Obama has a firm grasp of the issues, only problem is he doesn't happen to agree with McCain about all of them; big difference b/w "not understanding" them. Brought out the old standby of "most liberal voting record" charge that the Republican candidate has used quite often in the presidential debates --- which one is the "most liberal"? They can't all be.

My point being of course, that not only is Palin out of her league, she's not even playing the same sport!

Or at least have subject-verb agreement. Palin's sentences meander like Connecticut back roads. She starts in one thought and then switches midstream. At this point when she goes into big interviews like that, I imagine her heart is about in her throat and just getting words out seems like an accomplishment, whatever order they're in. For her sake, I hope she gets over this. But holy crap, to say she is out of her league is like saying a Little Leaguer isn't prepared to make a jump to the NFL.

Yep. How similar to this situation to the Lee Evans vocalizations last year? Front office/coach says they're making a decision for the better for the team and when individual members criticize that decision, it can ruffle feathers. How dumb does Lee look now? TE is head and shoulders above where JP was at this point. I don't mean to say that TG will be their savior. Just, especially at that high a level of the profession, people should stay in their lanes. It's not the players' call who plays the game, for good reason.

I think it was a college game last year when a guy was flagged for a personal foul and the ref actually said, "15 yard penalty on the defense... giving him the business" as he motioned to the crotch area. That was a memorable call. They referenced it in a game the other week with the same ref.

That's pretty bush league, promising to do something that's already been done for a while... by the opposition and her own running mate as two of the sponsors. Tells you to how much depth she's been briefed or is aware of what's happening on the national level. McCain has the Republican B-team running his campaign, and it looks like Palin has the D-team. (Full disclosure, I'm going to be voting for 'None of the Above').

Especially considering how he sat on his time outs at the end, I'd be shocked if he's not fired this week. Could have put his team in position to get the ball back with some seconds left if their D forced the issue before the final FG. At least give your team a chance, even for a kick return (as they got at the start of the game). He just stood against the wall and took it. I don't imagine Al or the Raider fanbase will react to that kindly.

Must be doing something right! Gets their D distracted, too.

Just have to wonder if he's dogging it out there. This sh-- keeps up, I'd like to see Walker back at LT and Chambers at RT.

Nah. Trent can't improvise when a play busts. Only JP can do that.

Greer's certainly playing for a fat UFA contract. May not have so many ints, but he's showing great things in coverage this year after having a solid last year as well.

Well, that wasn't exactly my original point, but whatever. The govt is not making money from the sale of the boxes, they are offering coupons to get people to convert to digital willingly and without raising too much of a stink. You're right about splitting hairs, altho that isn't so much the case as much as you're wrong about what is causing what and to what purpose and effect. If Channels 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 are still broadcasting analog in a market (I get all of these channels), the FCC very well can't sell the VHF-low spectrum. Therefore, the push was on for stations to move to UHF or VHF-high, broadcast in digital, and then eventually shut off high-power analog broadcasting, which will finally happen in Feb, after quite a delay b/c stations had dragged their feet in installing expensive digital equipment (I don't think they were jumping for joy over "Free spectrum" as you say. They have to pay for the power to send out the signal for both analog and digital, dividing of their engineers' time, advertisers probably not willing to pay any more when there will be no net gain in viewers,... I could go on and on about the detriments. Anywho, the converter coupons were intended as an incentive for people to be prepared for the switch to digital and not be able to have much bitching rights. Otherwise, the charge would be leveled that the govt sold public property (the airwaves) and left said public out in the cold w/o any help. One thing they didn't want to see was little old grandmothers (seemingly, the target audience of all the digital conversion commercials) on the local news after a storm saying they didn't know about the bad weather b/c their teevees didn't work anymore. Hence, the coupon program so they can sell VHF-low or use it for public safety comm, and eventually sell the upper UHF band.

I'm going to guess that Jesse is too busy still trying to cut Obama's nuts off.

Agreed. If the Bills win a Super Bowl in the near future with the core of players Marv helped bring in (and I think this is possible, especially with the light at the end of the tunnel we're seeing now), I hope Ralph ponies up for a ring for Marv.

More. My grandfather passed away about a week before, 96, and my dog's name (there's something else besides "Sammy") was the one he had always used for his dogs since before he emigrated from Holland. We went to WNY for the funeral, with Sammy (I walked through the farm fields with him on the day of the funeral), seemed fine in the car, got back home, he laid down on his bed and never got back up from it. I kind of feel bad that I've been more shaken up about losing my dog than my grandfather, but there it is. But then again, with such an amalgamation/interconnection of the two, maybe I'm just feeling it for the both of them in a double-blow. I don't know. I'm not a psychologist. Allow me to relate a circumstance, tho. We were at a gun club event (turkey shoot) down in a tony area of CT, and we took Sammy's father, don't know why. This was back when he was relatively young, tho, ~3. The leash somehow slipped off his neck, but then spun around on a dime when I clapped twice, and I guess after just viewing his general gentle disposition, a guy walks up to us, opens his checkbook and asks "How much for the dog?" The man had a hand-engraved double-barrel shotgun slung over his shoulder, fancy clothing, the works --- everything about him was oozing wealth. My father looked him up and down and said, "You don't have enough money to buy this dog" turned around and walked away. We heard later from people in the club that the guy was just dumbfounded by that response. Sammy was cut from the same bolt. He had his leg injured by a speeding car in 2004 --- literally just ripped flesh off --- and it was a long road back, changing bandages and all. When it was time for the change, he'd lay down, and sometimes arched his head up, but I think it very rare for a dog to react to that whole situation as well as he did. We got so close in and after that time, it was just implicit trust. But then, GSPs are a great breed if you want a friend. I'll say it more plainly that my life right now... I'm kind of at a crossroads. Job-wise, personal life, this sadness/depression, there's a lot of things I need to sort out (writing about it helps, tho). Not sure that getting a dog at this point would be fair, but it could all change tomorrow. As for that name, certainly not. I've promised myself that he'd be the last Sammy... My nephew watches a show on PBS called "Fetch! With Ruff Ruffman" and I've thought for a while that would make an excellent name. We'll see.

I'd just add that before Russ Brandon was named COO, he reportedly was spending a lot of time with Modrak and Guy learning about that side of the front office. Will he ever be a great talent evaluator? Dunno. The current group/several VP approach will likely be used for as long as Ralph signs the paychecks; and this group has shown it works as a team rather well. Brandon has a background in baseball, and it may be owing to that, that I kind of see him as a Theo Epstein-type Young Turk. Not apples-to-apples by any means, but similar in concentrating on business and stat side and getting more experience on the in-person/tape study evaluation side. I think it would be wise for him to always have someone like Modrak (should he be lured by another team, tho Modrak seems to be happy with the situation/set-up in Buffalo as opposed to what other teams would want him to be doing as their GM).

And, just in time, that great fiscal-conservative-who's-going-to-reign-in-spending shows up in his superhero outfit (aka the black suit) and saves the day! This presidency has been a f-cking catastrophe. Woe be to any man (or woman) who is actually raising and paying out hundreds of millions seeking this job. Bush asks Congress for $700 billion for bailout : Request is part of the largest financial bailout since the Great Depression Essentially, this is nationalizing mortgage-lenders who lent irresponsibly and saving their businesses from collapsing. This is not capitalism. This is weenie intervention and not allowing businesses to die that should die b/c they were doing the wrong things. Propping them up is asking for more industries to come looking for bailouts, claiming national interests. Or wait.... could it be that the financial lobbyists have so many politicians in their pockets they walk with a limp? MAKE NO MISTAKE! Just like the rest of the world, you get into politics to make your friends rich, only the American way is to sometimes wait until you're out of office, and then said friends make you rich. It's just delayed mutual back scratching. My tax dollars are going to funding to make sure none of these companies have to pony up when the "Risk" they charge so much for, banked/made money hand over fist on in good times "suddenly" (I still have a hard time believing they didn't see this coming. Bullsh--.) comes up snake eyes?!?! Yep. There was a spectrum auction earlier this year with more to come, I believe. I don't think they're going to get as much money from it as they were hoping, but Uncle Sam will still probably haul in a few billion, even after providing the digital converter coupons that make such a sale do-able w/o people grabbing pitchforks and torches.

Thanks, guys, but I'm just don't know. I didn't mean that as in 'I don't want to' go through losing a dog again, rather, that I can't go through that again. It just seems to be beyond grief or 'the blues.' My uncle has had standard poodles (this is a hunting/sport breed, not the toy breed), probably six in his life, and after losing the last one in 2002 that really tore him up, he went dog-less for a while. Now, he's got another and says he really hopes he goes first (he's had/has several varieties of serious health problems) so he doesn't have to feel like that again. I almost feel like that myself now, but thing is, I'm not nearing 80. Sorry about taking an intended happy thread and casting a shadow over it....

Yep. And I wouldn't be completely flabbergasted if it turned out that way. New Hampshire, Colorado, New Mexico, and Iowa, in my view, are this year's key. I think Ohio, Florida and the big-electoral states are pretty much settled, it's going to be a grab for these few lone wolves whose electoral count adds up into a swing state.

Yeah, why wouldn't Palin be gang-raped by a bunch of white guys? What's SB suggesting by injecting "black" into the conversation? --- Are all black men rapists? Are only black men rapists? Typical elitist bs, and if this c-nt only knew how little her opinion matters. Keep telling yourself how you're a compassionate, caring person who cares about black people while your words stab them in the back by propagating the stereotype, Sandra. And then what about the option that Palin would smoke them all Dirty Harry style in self-defense with her S&W? To all celebrities, I'm not demanding that you shut up about politics. But, Christ, you people look like absolute retards and you offend at least half of your possible customer base when you spew your various and sundry viewpoints.

Actually, the sale of the lower VHF and upper UHF spectrums are expected to more than cover the costs of the DTV-conversion coupons. Govt may make a few billion $ from it. Which I'm sure they'll piss away in a few seconds. But, yes, Uncle Sam seems to be 'sticking his hand down your shirt and squeezing your tit 'til it's purple!' (to borrow the phrase from one of my favorite movies) more these days than ever before. What's good to boost the collective economy is grossly unfair to your individual economy as it pertains to taxes. Why should individual, many of whom don't have any interest in it, be forced to bankroll Wall Street to make sure that some companies don't die out b/c they made stupid choices? On a sliding scale, does it follow that a restaurateur who served franks and beans and 'Sh-- on a Shingle' should be propped up by a million dollar loan from a town? I sure would love to be in a business that the govt refuses to let not make money. Seriously, where does this sh-- stop?!?! People with cable, iPods, Nikes and two cars getting heating assistance? It's a smack in the face that those who refuse to plan ahead, economize and do without luxuries are rewarded for it. We don't have cable (happier w/o it, too!) and bust our butts doing our own firewood. Cue Dire Straits' "I Want My MTV." The extent of unabashed consumerism and charity giveaways will be what brings this country to its final fiscal ruin. But until the bitter end, you can be sure they'll be passing the check.

This interactive electoral map might be handy. Link.

Blue Fire, is that a Vizsla? Seemed like a nice breed when I met one. Very high energy, tho. Unfortunately, I'm coming off the other end of the spectrum. We had to put my 12-year-old German shorthaired pointer down in late June (abdominal cancer). It happened so suddenly. He was my little boy, my best friend and then my old man. For a couple of weeks it was like that episode of Scrubs when Dr. Kelso can't stop the tears from running down his face: Carla: At least you stopped crying. Dr. Kelso: Not really. My body just can't produce tears anymore because I've intentionally dehydrated myself. It's a risky move, I know, but Dr. Jarvis here said it'd be alright. Carla: There's nobody standing behind you. Dr. Kelso: I'm going to need an IV. I woke up last week after having a Sammy dream and I just cried for a half hour. I have never been a crier but I imagine that when I'm 80 I'll still be shedding tears over him. And this came a year to the day that we had to put our other GSP, his father, down (Lyme/arthritis/tumors). Used to be there was unconditional love waiting for you at the front door. And now you get home and it's just so quiet and empty. You guys are so lucky to be starting off, and really, treasure each day and try not to let the small things like an occasional pee on the floor, etc., bother you b/c they will just seem so petty in the end. We've talked about getting another dog, but not right now. It's still too fresh. And I'm not sure I could handle losing another.

Actually, I read something that the average replay/review takes 47 seconds. But often, the reason it takes longer real-time is b/c of the teevee networks going to commercials for 2:30... so the call has to wait until the Secret deodorant ads are over.