bartshan-83

I'm not a computer guy and I therefore don't know the mechanics of internet affiliate marketing (I'm sure you are now very excited at the prospects of my input being useful ), so let me just start by eliminating a stupid assumption... I'm assuming that if this fake application had been summarily approved without you getting your "due diligence" phone calls, the affiliate company still would not have been able to post the advertisements onto your website without you doing anything? Meaning, you, SDS, still have the keys and power over any ads being displayed and this cannot be done unless you actually do it. Correct? If that's true, then the only other things I could think of are: -are you sure they actually used "gobills.net" as the website they wanted and not some similar clone like "g0bills.net" or something? -is it possible that these scammers use legitimate websites like yours to try to get their foot in the door with an affiliate company? Meaning, they hoped that the combination of a legit website and some legit-sounding corroborating information would be enough to get their application approved without a phone call? And then after they had a relationship with the affiliate marketer, they would be able to squeeze in future applications (used for whatever fraud they are into) more easily? That's all I got with my limited understanding of this stuff. Kind of a strange puzzle...

Yeah, beats me. I just estimated my 12-15 feet thing because my vent comes up from the floor, appears to go down about 3-4 feet and then turns towards the outside of the house (another 8-10 feet I'd guess). We have a townhouse and that's just where the washer/dryer is. I was also surprised as most other houses I've lived in have had a setup directly on an exterior wall. I guess there was a construction/space reason...

I agree that it sounds like your vent is clogged. And while your roof setup might make your situation more complicated than mine, I went through this about a year ago. Now our vent exhaust runs out the back of our house, about parallel to the dryer, so like I said, it sounds like your situation might be more difficult. But what I did was get a shop-vac and I went Spaceballs on both sides of the vent (alternating suck to blow ). Man, nasty-ass lint, fluff and other god-knows-what rained down on me like asbestos. I couldn't believe how much of the stuff was caught in the vent (I'd estimate the piping ran about 12-15 feet from dryer to exhaust vent). I could've filled 5-6 construction-sized buckets. I was at it for about two hours before I was finally satisfied that most of the crap was blown out. The difference in the amount of "wind" I could feel on my hand on the outside vent before and after the cleaning was night and day. So if something like this is feasible, you might save yourself some coin. Of course, I'm sure I breathed in/swallowed at least a few sweaters worth of lint that had accumulated over the previous 25-30 years of prior ownership. So um, wear a mask or something... Works like a charm now though...

Please allow me to proudly announce the birth of a future-member of our tortured society of Bills fandom: my son, Julian James Shanahan. Little guy was born late on Saturday and weighed in at an even 8 lbs. And we might have a future tight end on our hands since he measured a lanky 23 inches! I haven't been much of a poster this past year or so, and I'm even more worthless as a moderator, but I've been part of this community for probably over a dozen years and you all have been somewhat of an extended family. There is no better place to discuss Buffalo Bills football, get help on currency conversion or swap pickle juice-themed recipes. And if you don't know what I'm talking about on those last two things, well, that's what makes this place so much fun. I feel bad about passing on this curse of the Bills onto my son, but it's not really a choice. My dad did the same to me and I think it is just a way to share suffering with the next generation. Julian, like me, will have never lived anywhere near upstate NY, but he will still wear the red, white and blue (and hopefully only ONE shade of blue -- thanks again 2004-2010 uniforms) and scream at the television for many decades to come. Nothing will toughen a child up like latching them on to these heart-breakers from any early age. My dad even bought him a square for the Super Bowl a few weeks ago in a pool we did. So it was good to give him the feeling of losing on that day even before he was born. It's been a surreal couple of days obviously, but I really couldn't be happier. There is no feeling like seeing your child for the first time (at least none that I've experienced yet). I look forward to many years of joy together, before he gets old enough to be too cool for his old man (might not take long). And if he does decide one day to sign up to Two Bills Drive and join our dysfunctional family, I'll make sure he knows how to handle it. And if he can't, I'll just ban him. GO BILLS!! ~Bart

I bet you can throw a football over them mountains.

I like it. I always enjoy power rankings that have a bit of a blurb rather than some witty one-liner. Take ESPN's MLB power rankings vs. their NFL ones. For your list I'd swap New Orleans and Baltimore. Nicely done!

Anyone who has this on, rewind to the fumble just caused by Landry. Right after the play the camera goes to Landry who is walking off the field as he high-fives someone. That "someone" is Dez Bryant. Anyone catch that? Have you ever seen a player high-five an opposing player right after he caused a turnover? I thought it was bizarre...

I don't necessarily disagree with you because I don't know one can possibly measure whether capital punishment is a significant deterrent for committing murders. But I'll offer my opinion: A theory of crime deterrence I read in law school has stuck with me to this day. It is the theory that the likelihood of being caught far outweighs the severity of punishment. Would you be more likely to commit crime X that carried a 25 year sentence if you were 95% sure you'd get away with it or crime Y that carried a 5 year sentence if you were 70% sure you'd get away with it? Would you cheat on your spouse in a different country/city/situation that you were sure would never come back to you or would you simply flirt with someone in a location where it was possible someone might recognize you? (Obviously there is the qualifier that you would never do either of those things, but you understand the hypothetical). I'm sure not everyone subscribes to this theory, but the more thought I've put into it, the more I believe it in. I think it explains why 'unlikely criminals' continue to commit violent crime. By unlikely criminals I mean people that don't otherwise engage in usual criminal behavior. When someone has decided to commit a murder (or allowed themselves to enter the mind state where such an act is now possible), I believe that they are primarily (if not exclusively) considering their odds of being caught, rather than what will happen to them if they are. A related point is coupling the above theory with the very human behavior of compounding a bad situation into a worse one rather than dealing with any unpleasantness. Take Scott Peterson or Rae Carruth...two men who (theoretically) murdered their wives/girlfriends to avoid dealing with an unwanted pregnancy. Whatever social/emotional/financial or other hardships they would have endured by having a child OBVIOUSLY paled in comparison to facing the death penalty. But I believe in their minds they did this: Situation A (having the child): Unpleasant situation x 100% probability = unacceptable Situation B (murdering the s/o): (Unpleasant situation x 0% probability) + (severe punishment x low probability) = acceptable Surely breaking this down into a mathematical equation is artificial, but you get my point. It explains how people can become capable of such heinous behavior and WHY they actually follow through with it. Now, I'll wrap this up because I'm getting long-winded, but I do believe/concede that capital punishment is a great deterrent AFTER someone is caught. I believe that once someone's brain moves past considering the likelihood of being caught and into the reality that they have been, THEN the severity of the punishment clearly comes into play. That may be an obvious point, but I think it is where the correlation truly lies.

Well, lucky you! http://insidemovies.ew.com/2011/09/12/point-blank-reboo/ I've heard it's going to be about 'extreme sports' instead of surfing though. The remake train keeps on chugging!

You are a...um...miserable fan.

WE ARE: 3rd in total defense 3rd in passing defense 1st in scoring defense 3rd in First Downs allowed 7th in Third Down defense 2nd in penalties 2nd in defense passing YPA 1st in defense passing YPC 3rd in defense passer rating 2nd in takeaways Yeah yeah...only 1 game played. But when's the last time you saw numbers like that in Buffalo? (Or numbers that weren't flip-flopped?) GO BILLS!

I think Rich Rod could have turned it around a little this year and maybe next. I was surprised at how awful his defenses were. His spread was finally kicking into gear and could have been dangerous this year, but ask Charlie Weis were good offense and piss poor defense gets you. I will say that I've found newly-minted role as a commentator to be a bit strange. Twice I've seen him in roundtable type discussions and both times he has made back-handed comments about Michigan. Obviously still a lot of bad feelings there and I'd think he should get a hold on them. But I agree that he will definitely get another decent job soon, if he wants it.

Awesome posts, guys! Exactly what I had hoped for. I mean, where else could I get such a detailed analysis of a team like UConn that I would otherwise know very little about. Thanks for taking the time. And agreed that it would be nice to get some PSU love in here. I'm sure there are more of you than anyone else. Is this looking like a .500 year for State or can they make a little noise? I got a season long bet with a buddy of mine: ND wins vs. PSU wins (I gave him +1.5 on the spread). I took him last year (no spread) and I feel confident to repeat. Am I wrong? TWO days from kickoff baby! :w00t:

Rich, something has always troubled me about these threads and its of the utmost importance that you clarify immediately: When you type "It's baaaaaaaaaack", should I be reading that as: A. The classic Poltergeist pronunciation (They're Baaaaa-aaaack) B. An emphatic, triumphant yell (IT'S BAAAACK!!) This has kept me awake at night many times over the past decade. Free me from my torment.

Seconded.

*For those in the Philly/DE area, he is on Preston and Steve (93.3).* One of our local radio morning shows (non-sports) had two Eagles on this morning, Jason Babin and Jon Dorenbos. I remember him most for supposedly being an aspiring magician in addition to long-snapper. But man, the guy had some legit comedic chops. Babin was talking about how he had to buy his number (93) from a player when he signed. Dorenbos cut him off and said that when you are a long snapper, you don't get that option. Management just comes and tells you it's not yours anymore. He said when he was in Buffalo, he originally had #55, but then we drafted someone who wanted that. So he figured he could make a deal or something. Coaches just told him "No, we're just going to take that one. You'll be fine." I guess it was Angelo Crowell. He also talked about accidentally snapping a ball during a pre-game warm-up and hitting the kicker in the nuts and how he grew up a Seattle Mariners fan so when he got to play in the stadium for the first time, he crawled out to midfield and kissed the ground and the maintenance guys thought he was getting sick or something. Nothing wild here...but I just thought it was cool to hear him and was surprised at how natural he sounded. He could have been one of the hosts. Anyway, back to our regularly scheduled Moran bashing.

For real? You wouldn't hire a current NBA player, with above average recognition, to be a greeter at your Home Depot? I'm guessing once word got around that business might pick up just a tad... Now I wouldn't put him near any heavy machinery or sharp objects...

MOTHER!@#$ER....AGAIN! Being had twice in the same thread...I think that's a wrap for me. Well done!

Dammit, Ralph! The correct answer was: "I fully supported our management's decision to pursue Michael Vick. We had a contract all worked out. Mr. Vick had agreed in principle to sign at which time he informed us that the commissioner had strongly 'advised' him to sign with Philadelphia instead. We have been irreparably harmed and demand 6 draft picks* as compensation." *However, we do not want any 1st rounders because we don't know how to use them.

This thread is getting to be great. We have what is slowly becoming a potentially real news story PLUS an all-time great use of the pixie link and even a minor-meltdown post. Got some potential...

This is potentially huge. HUGE. Any commentary on Vick's popularity, transgressions, potential acceptance and/or success in Buffalo is irrelevant and actually detracts from the only point here -- that the league commissioner potentially steered a player away from/towards a particular franchise. The reasoning behind that may prove interesting (and ultimately important) but for now, the action itself is the only thing. I hope this story is able to pick up steam quickly before damage control/spin takes over. Vick, the Eagles and the NFL will try to get in front of this ASAP. Vick will retract/clarify, the Eagles will plead ignorance and the NFL will be dismissive. I think Vick slipped up here and I think it's a big, big deal. It's times like these that I have actually thought of Ralph Wilson as a great asset. He has never been shy to fire off at the commish with force and volume when he feels the franchise has been wronged. His rebuke to Tagliabue after the Patriots "Just Give It To 'Em" embarrassment was a thing of beauty. I just hope he still has the energy and clarity to make sure this doesn't get buried as a non-story.

My man...thanks. Yeah I got very busy awhile back and before I knew it, months had gone by. But when the lockout ended, I figured it was time to come back. I too wonder if the NCAA has the stones to drop the hammer. I think everyone wonders as well. But what happened here is way, way worse than the USC fiasco. Combine that with the perfectly-scripted hypocrisy of Miami's former AD working for the NCAA infractions committee and being the one who chastised USC, I feel like their hand will be forced. But like I said, it's now or never. I think Miami either voluntarily shuts it down or the NCAA will. If they don't, they never will (or can) again. Come chat on the college football board. We need to get that place up and running again!

Well now that the biggest scandal in college football since SMU has broke and has been posted on TWO boards here besides the College Football Board, I think it's time to get things moving around here. Glorious kickoff is 2.5 weeks away. We're coming in for the landing. So I thought of a topic that could be interesting (or not) and could get a little discussion going. Post your highest "realistic" ceiling for your favorite team. Then give 3 reasons why they'll get there and 3 reasons why they won't. NOTRE DAME Realistic Ceiling: 11-1, BCS birth Why They Will: 1. Defense Defense Defense There hasn't been as much optimism towards a Notre Dame defense since maybe the end of Lou's days. They were thoroughly embarrassed in some big ways earlier last season (Denard Robinson totalling 500+ yards, Navy violating us in unspeakable ways) but during the last 5 games of the season, ND allowed FOUR defensive touchdowns (and that included 2 4th Quarter garbage TDs against Miami in the Sun Bowl). Breaking it down further, starting after Tulsa's opening drive of the game, ND's defense went 18+ quarters while allowing only one TD. That touchdown? It was a four-play TWO-yard drive vs. USC after we turned the ball over on our own 2 yard line. Now, we weren't playing Oregon and Oklahoma during that stretch, but it was extremely impressive nonetheless. All reports are that the D has taken a further step forward this year and the ridiculous freshman DL haul we got last year is going to make them pretty special. I can't wait. 2. Continuity Brian Kelly admitted that after the 1-3 start, he realized that he had pushed too hard, too fast in getting his spread-offense scheme installed. The players came out of a very different pro-style offense under Weis and they simply did not know what they were doing at a level of competence required. And beyond that, just having the same coaches, same routines, same faces, same playcalls from year to year is huge. This spring they were able to hit the ground running instead of doing things like getting used to the coaches, learning new positions, new schedules, etc. A lot of teams make a big jump in the 2nd year of a coaching change and this is a big reason why. 3. Schedule Although my woefully-misinformed buddy Ramius (among others) seems to subscribe to the myth that ND plays soft schedules every year, that is not the case. No JV warmup games, no I-AA schools. However, there are also no world-beaters on the docket this season. It's the kind of schedule that a good team should be able to handle, but can easily lead to 4-5 losses if you aren't for real. Opening with USF won't be cake, going into Michigan for their first ever night game the following week will be nuts. Michigan State was BCS level last year and Cousins is legit. USC should be a win, but they still have talent. And Stanford is a mystery, but betting against the best QB in the country is questionable. And until we can prove we aren't Navy's B word, I'm not penciling that one in either. If ND can get onto a nice roll and survive the first 4 games unscathed, the sky is the limit. If they stumble to 3-1 (likely) or 2-2, we are likely looking at an 8-10 win team. Why They Won't: 1. Schedule At the risk of appearing totally contradictory, my previous paragraph cuts both ways. As stated, if ND is truly in the 15-20 rank range, then chances are they will not breeze through the schedule. As stated, they open with a legit opponent, they play 3 Top 25 teams (including USC if they could be ranked) and hand full of 25-40 level teams. There aren't too many breaks and if they aren't ready out of the gate, they will pay. 2. QB Crist will start, despite the reported battle between him and Rees. He is more talented and more experienced. But he was incredibly inconsistent last year and if he has not progressed enough, the offense will struggle again. Plus, he has proven to be about as durable as Rob Johnson so there is no guarantee he makes it through the year. Kelly has proven he can win with multiple QBs and I think things will be okay here. But until the bullets fly, it is a giant question mark. And team with question mark QBs don't win BCS bowls. 3. Brian Kelly I firmly believe that he has the potential to be something special. His track record is great and his overall results last year, while mixed, were positive and trending upwards. But he made a bunch of head-scratching decisions. Indefensible calls and bizarre moments. And getting embarrassed, utterly embarrassed by Navy will never be erased. Their is a fear that he will stubbornly try to show he can with with his super-tempo spread even if the players aren't grasping it. The biggest reason we went 4-0 down the stretch last year was that the defense stepped up and playing a true freshman QB forced him to dumb the offense way down. They ran a lot more and controlled the clock. It was a very successful formula leading a lot of people to wonder why we didn't do that earlier in the year and also to fear that he will revert. But I believe he is the right guy and I expect the offense to be successful (in whatever form it takes). So there it is. I think that 9 wins is the minimum expectation of success this year. Anything less will be disappointing (barring major injuries). Another issue is that while our frontline talent looks great, we are incredibly thin at CB and RB. If something goes sideways there, there will be true freshman on the field (and not 5-star blue chippers). Either way, I am pumped for this year. More than I've been since I allowed Charlie's 2005 season to sucker me in. GO IRISH!

What's the difference between Casey Anthony and the U? Only one of them ain't getting the Death Penalty. This is it. Game over. If the NCAA doesn't have the intestinal fortitude to pull the trigger this time, then the DP is realistically non-existent. For those of you who haven't read the Yahoo article, do it. It's long but well worth your time. And additionally, click on the list of names in the box on the right of this link (from the main article as well) ALLEGATIONS. That details all of the corroborating evidence against each player. It's simply astounding how detailed they got. And for those of you unfamiliar with Yahoo Sports and their role in investigative sports journalism, they have completely broken away from the field as far as competing sports news outlets are concerned. They are responsible for the Reggie Bush scandal, the OSU mess and the Oregon situation. And rumor is that they are working on Auburn and SCam Newton, which potentially has even more juice than this current story (although not comparable in breadth and scope). ESPN is entirely worthless as they have little interest in digging up dirt on those who fill their coffers. The "E" in ESPN far outweighs the "S." This has been a long time coming for the Hurricanes. From Luther Campbell's embarrassment to yesterday's article, Miami has done what they've pleased for the better part of 3 decades. Now egg is on everyone's faces and the NCAA is likely backed into a corner here. Just remember this SI cover from '95: Hasta la vista.

Mom and Pop, for sure. I mean, I love franchise places and frequent them often, but I will never understand peoples' bizarrely valued devotion to them. When I drive by the local Olive Garden and Red Lobster and I see 20-30 people waiting OUTSIDE, it makes my head spin. A chain called Firebird Grill opened in our area about 2-3 years ago I guess. Pretty decent steakhouse. But the first time I tried to go there, the hostess informed me it would be a TWO and a HALF HOUR wait! It floors me how people are willing to sit for 30, 40, 60, 90 minutes for any food, especially run-of-the-mill franchise cuisine. Good luck with your place...the world always needs another good pizza joint.