RkFast
-
Posts
6,712 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Gallery
Profiles
Forums
Events
Posts posted by RkFast
-
-
Dead and Company is doing a residency there next Spring/Summer. Tempted but going to pass. Saving my pennies for Bills tickets which aint getting any cheaper (Im downstate, so any game involves travel and hotel). Plus...call me old school but when I go to a show I want to see...THE BAND. Unless Im sitting far far away I try to ignore all the lights and hokey graphics and I focus on the band playing. So a giant light show doesnt really appeal to me. YMMV.
That said...a little fungus in that joint...yeesh that would be something.
-
I have a Navien. I like it. A few thoughts.
1. Have someone experienced do the install. I would suggest you go to their website and find a certified installer in your area, at the top of the list. I think its NSS certified or something like that. These things have to be installed just right and the plumbing run for water AND intake and exhaust air done just right, or you will have issues. It then needs to be tuned to what youre using it for in terms of heat (forced air, radiant, hot water, etc.). I dont think they can used for steam heat, if you have that.
2. They are quiet and efficient. But they still require yearly maintainance that can run several hundred dollars. You have the flush the heat exchanger, clean the unit and change the media in the water neutralizer (more on that in a sec).
3. They emit very little in terms of out the chimney exhaust, especially if configured for max efficiency. My exhaust is on the side of the house and I can stand right next to the unit while its running and put my nose close to the pipe and smell virtually nothing. The tradeoff is that instead of combustion by-products going out the chimney, they are partially condensed into water vapor in the heat exchanger (the "condensing" technology). And that makes that condensate VERY acidic. So much so that it will irritate your skin a little and most important rust and corrode any metal in site FAST. The solve for this is that the condensate runs through a PH neutralizer which is just a small chamber with limestone in it and then off to the water drains in your house. That limestone needs to be changed every few years. Its not expensive...like $50 and its a DIY thing if youre handy.
4. From what I heard Navien is not the best player in the market in terms of quality. THey used to be BAD but over the last 15 years they got their act teogther. Plumbers do like them becuase they are fairly easy to work on and their tech support is very very good.
-
1
-
-
1 hour ago, Augie said:
Yeah, I could check off most of the things you mentioned. We saw a lot of that over the years, and it was indeed unsavory. Our son was a top 3 player on a soccer team and he was playing up a year. For some reason they no longer let you play up so he had to try out for the team his age. But they already had tryouts (no, they didn’t), and their team had been together for years. Everyone just expected to be on the team. It sucks for somebody, because my son thought he deserved a chance to try out and some kid was gonna get bumped after like 3 years on the team.
The only positive aspect of that part is kids are learning how the world works. It might not be a pleasant lesson, but at least it’s something. When the adults go crazy, there is zero redeeming value. You are always teaching your children, even when you don’t mean to. They can learn proper behavior….or something else.
Full disclosure, I was a hot head when our kids first started playing sports. I admit it, but I came to see how awful it is. By the time we got to high school sports I had mostly grown out of that kind of obnoxious yelling at refs and such and by graduation I was the calmest person there. I’m still a bit embarrassed by the way I behaved early on.
Listen...I LOVE youth sports overall. My boy does all of them, except lax and while hes not a top athlete, hes serious about play and dedicated. I do enjoy a lot of it. Im just saying that..for me anyway...that the stuff that bothers me and it does so more than the fights!
And its def easy to get "caught up" in it all. Its a ton of time, its a ton of money and its your kid up there! Thats enough to put any parent on edge!
-
27 minutes ago, Augie said:
Care to expand on this? I’ve been there, but what happened behind the scenes was mild compared to what the parents were up to. We had our sons in travel league sports for years, and there were embarrassing moments for sure. There are behind the scene drama regarding who gets more minutes, etc, but the biggest problem, BY FAR, was with the parents.
Oh, and in case you didn’t notice, this was not people “popping off” or getting “mouthy” from the stands with something to say. These were adults rolling around on the floor. At an AAU hoops tournament one of the dads (a coach even!) had to be held back by the other adults or he would have been arrested for assaulting the clock operator, a guy at least 100 lbs smaller. It was embarrassing just to be there.
We had one dad banned from high school campus because his roid rage was out of control and he was pinning people up against the wall by the throat in the gym. His son went on to Va Tech to play football, but it was pretty clear he was juiced up, just like his dad.
Kids learn this shameful behavior from the adults, they don’t invent it.
The politics of which kid gets on a team, closed off in secret tryouts, whether a kid even gets a tryout or makes a team because of who the parents are "friends" with, kids making (or not making a team) depending on mom's looks, clinics and offseason workouts held in secret, rec leagues put on pause so travel teams get priority with field use and access to league funds, lesser kids kept out of clinics becuase they would "prevent the better kids from learning more", the cliquish and elitish behavior on the sidelines, on and on.
THATS what Im talking about. Witnessed (or heard about) ALL of this stuff. Im sure there are plenty of cases of really bad phyisical behavior. But that stuff is few and far between. However, the list of stuff I provided above is common and regular. The fights are bad...dont get me wrong. But the underhanded stuff just makes my skin crawl.
-
1
-
-
Last year didnt bother me for a second. The Bengals were the better team in every way and blew the Bills' doors off. 13 Seconds and this year are both heartbreaks.
I DO have to say that 13 seconds was a heartbreak but wasnt a shock, nor should it have been for anyone who lived through the Music City Miracle. THAT debacle taught me to NEVER raise your hands in celebration until either the team is in victory formation or there are triple zeros on the clock.
-
Not to be contrarian (ok, just a little), but Ill take a few parents popping off every blue moon over the underhanded, toxic, and at times downright evil nonsense that constantly goes on behind the scenes and in whispers in youth sports. Thats the REALLY bad stuff...not parents getting a little mouthy and pushy shovy on the sidelines. 99.99% of kids and parents will laugh off a screaming match or even some pushes and shoves by the time the game is over...especially if proper apologies are made. Those who have "been there", especially with the travel leagues, know EXACTLY what Im talking about.
-
2
-
1
-
-
On 2/1/2024 at 9:15 AM, WhoTom said:
For all practical purposes, D&C is a GD tribute band. (And not even the best one, in my opinion.)
This is accurate. But...its still good to see the old man Weir up there and the double drums behind him. The shows are fun, its still a "Dead Show." Been to about ten of them. And Mayer rips. And....now that Jay Lane replaced Billy, the percussion DOESNT sound like a four year old banging on a fisher price kit. Sorry not sorry...Billy was donezo. Also..while Im on a bit of a rant...I got ZERO use for Oteil. Some of his solo singing is good. His rendition of Fire on the Mountain at Citifield last Summer melted my brain. But in general he plays with the enthusiasm of a 10 year old boy playing violin at his winter concert at Quohog Elementary.
All that said, I aint going. No interest in Vegas, I just bought a pro-level road bike I have to pay for (Enve Melee, SRAM Red, SES wheels and kit w/power meter), and having to choose between tickets to see a Bills QB in his prime or seeing a band that was in its prime during the Reagan Administration, Im taking the former.
-
We already knew Rogers was the defacto HC, GM and PR guy. Add OC to that list. No wonder that team is a disaster.
-
6 minutes ago, DieHardFan said:
***** destroyed royalty, hope the Bills aren't going down the same path.
Is McDermott so scared/set in his ways that he doesn't want fresh perspectives?
Bill Belichick was notorious for only keeping "his guys." The last two years of his tenure in NE aside, how did that work out?
-
And in ten years when the NFC is "dominant" again?
-
5
-
-
4 minutes ago, ProcessImproverMan said:
I'd much rather have a cut throat win at all costs culture that crosses lines if need be to get a Super Bowl (like the Patriot way with Brady)
So...you want to cheat. Yeah miss me on that.
-
1
-
2
-
-
10 minutes ago, ProcessImproverMan said:
I agree. I think the Pegula's are content with the mediocrity and not taking the next step to change our culture because firing McDermott has the potential to backfire and get you a worse coach and worse team culture. The Chargers fired Schottenheimer because he couldn't get over the hump in the playoffs and the Chargers regressed for the most part with Norv Turner. Because the Pegula's are already making money hand over fist with the currently company culture, which is winning to an extent, and because breaking McDermotts contract to go out and hire a more proven winner would eat into profits, I think the Pegula's are content to let McDermott continue pushing his failed team culture that cannot get the super bowl Bills fans deserve. The Pegula's are not all in for winning. We have seen the Chargers go all in by firing a failed coach to bring in a new culture with Harbaugh that has a better track record than McDermott. We have seen the Patriots do it in the past when they fired Pete Carroll who kept losing in playoff games and bright in Belichick. We saw the Bucs do it with Dungy (who failed repeatedly in the playoffs) when they brought in Gruden who won a super bowl his first season.
The Pegula's are becoming fat and lazy and don't want to really push a winning culture.
Pure speculation and conjecture above.
The TRUTH is that it is widely accepted around the entire NFL world that the Buffalo Bills organization and its culture is one of the best ones in the NFL, if not in ALL of pro sports in the US. Does that necessariliy translate to winning a championship? No. But the org is not some shoddy fly by night deal like you imply above. What McD and Beane have built is consdiered top tier around the league. And the idea that the Pegulas are "not in it for winning" doesnt wash, either. They invested a ton of money building what is consdered one of the best fitness centers in the NFL (https://www.buffalobills.com/news/bills-expect-world-class-sports-performance-center-to-enhance-their-game). They have laid out BIG contracts to free agents and to retain their own talent. Again...does that translate into winning? No. The Von contract is bad right now due ot his injuries. But its sure damn NOT for lack of trying. The effort to win is there. The MONEY is there.
-
5
-
2
-
-
29 minutes ago, Niagara Dude said:
One thing is clear with McDermott is he loves his older vets and has very little patience for young players.
This is a complete falsehood and yet another example of people projecting stuff on the head coach that he just does not do. I actually looked this up and was directed to this post right on this forum which discusses this.
-
1
-
1
-
-
12 hours ago, CincyBillsFan said:
More wise observations:
That means unleashing his best player in full.
Im DYING to know what "leash" Josh Allen is on due to the head coach. Was it becuase in the opener he was caught on camera telling him to "BE SMART?" Wow...what a crushing comment. I mean, if I ever heard my boss telling me to be careful with my work, I would have to quit on the spot.
Also, Dunne's leaning on "drought fear" to make a point is ridiculous becuase if The Dought tought us ANYTHING, its that coaches are not interchangable and even the highly regarded ones who come in, which Williams, Mularkey and Rex all were, can just as easily fail. For every Shanahan there are THREE Matt Patricias.
"Yeah but those coaches dont have Josh Allen."
But that statement doesnt wash either. Becuase the whole idea claimed that McD is "wasting" Josh Allen PROVES that an HC can do that.
-
1 minute ago, Not at the table Karlos said:
He’s the head coach. The entire team is his responsibility.
Broadly. But not play by play formations like this. Thats the coordinator's job.
-
The decision to go for that play is on McDermott. But A LOT of critique here is on HOW the play was run. McDermott coaches the ST now? He sets up the formations and assignments in ST? Thats news to...well...literally everyone.
Are we going to blame McD for Billy Buffalo not getting his suit drycleaned before the game now? Can we PLEASE keep the arrows aimed at McD to the ones he actually has responsibility for taking?
-
1
-
1
-
1
-
-
3 minutes ago, Bills Bud said:
The answer is YES… because we have Josh Allen. So the notion that McDermott can’t be fired is ridiculous. For goodness sake the Eagles almost fired Sirriani and he took them to the Super Bowl last year and made the playoffs this year. So any coach that comes in would get just as far as McDermott cause we have a top 5 QB. McDermott is a good coach but not good enough to get us a ring. There are a lot of good coaches out there, it’s time for a change.
In your title, you say "make the playoffs." In your post you say "get us a ring." Which is it? Becuase there is an ocean of difference between making the tournament and winning it.
-
1 hour ago, Da webster guy said:
It would have helped tremendously when we had 1st down on the KC 27 yard line for our OC and Head coach to tell Josh, listen man, we DONT want a touchdown right now, we want the next first down. We're already in FG range but our kicker has been erratic and we need to keep Mahomes on the bench, so just move the chains, we'll use the timeouts if we need to but this possession ends with us kicking a last second FG from the 10 yard line or getting a TD in the final seconds to win it.
I'm not saying McD didn't say that to Josh, but knowing him and the way he freezes up at the end of halves/games it never got said. Brady is an interim OC and probably is just thinking, how do we score asap? and Josh is the same way, he goes balls out.
These are the moments where a strategy can win you the game. Look for the underneath stuff Josh, it's a higher percentage play and we don't want the kill shot now anyway because KC has timeouts and we can't seem to stop Mahomes today.
If that gets said, he looks for Diggs wide open underneath instead of Shakir in the end zone, we move the chains, reduce the length of the kick by a lot and then play small ball until the clock winds down and then we take our shots to win it. Worst case it's a chip shot and we go to OT. In other words, even if he hits Shakir for that touchdown I still think we lose that game, Mahomes with 2 minutes and multiple timeouts.
Its something that your QB isn't going to think about, he's listening for the next play and trying to process the field stuff, you need strategy from your HC to feed him game management along the way. That was a situation that called for small ball, high percentage, control the clock and kill time, but instead we're calling plays for endzone shots like there's only 20 seconds left
We need someone to manage our team during the games that sits next to our OC and can talk to Josh. McD is a team leader/motivator not a strategic thinker, the OC has a tactical call the next play role, where is the strategist? We lost because we didn't have one.
YES YES YES. Its not FG vs TD. They totally could have played for the tie and OT if they didnt want to go balls to the wall and play for the TD only. But you MUST get the clock down to zero or as close to it as you can. Yeah, yeah...13 seconds is all Mahomes needs. But Ill take my chances with THAT happening again over giving Patty M. the ball with a minute left.
For me, its not even the "conservative vs aggresive" thing. Tom Brady won 6 SBs playing "conservative." Its the way the Bills go about it.
-
2 minutes ago, KDIGGZ said:
My wife cheated on me again. Oh well that's just who she is. I probably can't do any better anyhow!
"Best fans in the world, baybeee!!!!!"
-
8 minutes ago, DrDawkinstein said:
First, my original statement was "heck, bring in Vrabel at this point". Meaning, even tho he isnt what we're looking for, he'd still be better than McD. So dont get mistaken that Vrabel is even close to my top choice or prototypical HC. My only point is: Vrabel isnt even a perfect answer but still better than McD.
Second, yes, you'd love to bring in an Offensive mastermind to take Josh to all new levels, and so we dont have constant OC turnover. But I dont see a candidate out there that fits that role. Maybe one of the hot OCs like Johnson or Slowick, but there isn't enough tape on those guys to believe they'd be the answer. Maybe Johnson since Detroit is still in it and their O is actually functioning in the playoffs.
I understand. I agree Im not sure if there is a plug and play guy out there. And thats my overall point. A LOT of the chatter thats been out there is that there is. New HC and done deal, they win it all. I dont see that, especially in this sport. Thats MUCH more of a baseball or basketball type of thing. In football, which is a much more complex sport to coach and manage a team, you need to build the whole PROGRAM. And that takes a lot of time.
-
1
-
-
7 minutes ago, DrDawkinstein said:
He is 1000x better at situational football decisions coming from years of studying under the master of situational football. He already used Belichick's dark magic against him a couple times with some of those "stretching the rules" situations to win games. Situational Football is McD's biggest weakness.
He isnt "just a DC". He's on overall Head Coach, who hires coordinators and then assumes his position of overseeing the entire team, not just Defense.
Lastly, it seems we need less of a decent human being and more of an ass-kicking football player to set the tone for this team.
Look, I like Vrabel I think he runs a good program. But I thought the whole reason for dumping MdD was for an "offensive minded HC." Is Vrabel that?
Also, to that end...remember who the Bills' HC was when the Bills and Allen were throwing the ball around like maniacs and scoring a ton of points?
-
8 minutes ago, DrDawkinstein said:
SHOULD we? Yes. Heck, bring in Vrabel at this point.
WILL Terry nut-up and pull the trigger? Absolutely not. We're stuck with this for at least another year.
See, this is the stuff that drives me nuts. Vrabel? Hes McDermott, just a foot taller and ten thousand times less of a decent human being.
You want to fire the coach, knock yourself out. But be ready to "waste" another year of Josh while the new coach puts his program and regime in place. Also, if you go the hotshot young gun new HC, be ready to also "waste" a few more years because the number of rookie HCs that won the Super Bowl is.....TWO.
Again, Im totally fine with letting McD go. But this idea that we plug and play a new HC, especially a rookie one, and its "Super Bowl, baby!!" is just mindless.
-
1
-
-
13 minutes ago, Johnnieo64 said:
How does this Buffon keep his job? He is totally biased and gives Josh Allen snd the Bills no credit. Other broadcasters look at things objectively like Colin Coward and Brossard and give Josh and the Bills the credit they deserve. This guy just totally looks at all the negatives and no positives. I guess he does it to get attention as it certainly isn’t because of his sports analytics. He is a total POS. Unwatchable!!!!
Hes goading you. Engagement = $$$. And negative hot takes = engagement.
-
This bothers me more than Ticketmaster fees. At least there, Im getting something I never had before they were around. Access to any ticket, for any game or show, anytime. Those of us GenXers and older know what getting tixx for events used to be like, especially popular games and concerts. But now I can snap my fingers and have access to anything. So its a lot of $$ but theres a value there. Parking? Putting aside inflation, what am I getting for the parking markup Im paying now that I didnt get before, especially for playoff games? Zero. Same spot, same lot, same everything. Its a straight moneygrab.
-
1
-
The Sphere venue in Las Vegas
in Off the Wall
Posted
Oh...believe me I get it. Thats what we do "space" for!!! Just not feeling it, myself. Im sure it will be a real good time for those who go.