LongLiveRalph

It said in the cultural references notes that The Fire Safety Day slogan was "Learn, Baby, Learn" Say what you will about the quality of episodes over all these seasons, but IMO this ^^^^ is one area where the writers have remained top notch. I crack up every time there is a slogan or announcement board at the school, church, grand opening, etc. They're always very clever and hysterical.

Master plumbers are getting to the point where they are naming their price and getting it. And as far as I know, people will still be shiitting in toilets for the foreseeable future. The majority of plumbers are nearing retirement age, and wages will continue to rise as shortages continue. If you can look past the "stigma" of the job, and don't mind wrestling with a dirty thunderbox every once in a while, you can make some good cake. My friend lives in Charleston, SC and was in a pretty bad way about 5 years ago...Horrible debt, horrible overall situation...He went to trade school, is now a plumber (he is officially an apprentice working under a MP) and he's clearing about $70K a year. He thinks his MP is up in the $100K range, but the guy also works like a maniac and loves the weekend/emergency calls.

I agree, I listen daily to the live shows, and Fridays leave me wanting...Much of Mastertape Theater is simply unlistenable, IMO. But oh god, could you imagine the B word sessions and therapy bills for them if Sirius told them they had to work on Fridays??? Howard would whine about it for the three months leading up to it, Robin would follow along with his bitching, and I think Artie's fat head would explode.

Isn't there a Simpson's episode where it's discovered that MLB is spying on the general public using satellites?

5 Guys does make a fine burger. I also just enjoyed a Steak'n'Shake for the first time the other day...Drove right past it daily for two years, finally stopped at lunchtime, absolutely excellent... However, I'm not up to speed with the Ipod touch. I also have a TV that is about 4 feet thick and weighs 171 pounds.

Wow...Ralph doesn't look so hot...

If they were down 6-5 instead of 9-5 in the 9th inning, would they still have conceded? I'm not sure what I would've done....

And Dwight yelling across the office to Michael about the gift rock....

That was sweet. This shot is better:

incredible talent

I was in Philly on extended business about two months ago. My company was looking at some warehousing space and investment properties, so granted, we were in the more "industrial" parts of town...But goddam, there were sections of Philly that make Buffalo look like Seattle.

Hahaha exactly. Howard even cracked up once when Robin couldn't understand one of the sound bites...He said, "You try cutting these things together." They do it all the time. My juvenile sense of humor almost always finds it funny. They had some hilarious ones a few years back where they spliced some George Tekai interviews together. "My neighbor in Denver was a lengthy black teenager." They used to use them to prank call people a lot. They are a low-brow, parody radio show. Take it for what it is and laugh, or just don't listen.

It took me a while to get into the Office...But I do remember the first few episodes I "sort of" watched, I was wondering if Kevin was retarded.

Relax dude. The whole point of the bit is that they're obviously splicing clips together to make her say outrageous things. It's not their intent to contrive perfect audio and hope people actually believe she said these things. It's a joke, consider laughing every once in a while.

I can't believe Kenny Rogers pisses in boys' azzholes.

If standing in a circle with five friends at a bar ripping down shots of tequila makes you gay, then I have been a full-fledged homo for over a decade.

Successful red zone offense getting 7 instead of 3 will be the reason.

Also....From down home.... Two organizations not in the "Big Four" sports who repeatedly earn praise for their organization and professionalism are the Bisons and Bandits. I realize a Triple-A baseball team is largely at the mercy of their parent organization for on-field product, and Cleveland has done a nice job with Buffalo, but it is most definitely true that there are aspects of each individual AAA organization that allows them to stand out on their own. Cleveland will likely be ending their affiliation with the Bisons, but that is more for revenue and TV dollars (and a new stadium) that is waiting in Columbus, the capital of Ohio (and halfway between the rooting interests of the Indians and Reds.) It has been reported that Buffalo, from an organizational and financial standpoint, will be a highly sought-after affiliate for someone in MLB. The Rich family has done a great job, IMO...The dream of a MLB team in Buffalo may have been a bit of a reach, and I for one love the atmosphere (and prices) of minor league ball. The Bandits have done an incredible job marketing and putting a solid product on the field, in a league where finishing a season in the black financially is far from guaranteed. It helps to have the best player in the history of the sport on your roster for 15 years, but the Bandits have been, overall, a very consistent and successful franchise.

Good call on the Spurs. Professional, businesslike, consistent effort, similar to the Steelers and Red Wings. A difference with San Antonio...While it would be very easy to call them "lucky" for winning the lottery rights to #1 pick David Robinson, and then again with Tim Duncan, the difference is that they have an organization that is savvy enough to KEEP those championship pieces intact for an extended period. Plenty of teams have drafted well, but then they have not surrounded their stars with complementary pieces, or not bucked up with the coin when the contract was due.

I responded in the baseball forum to a crayonz post about the St. Louis Cardinals being the best organization in professional sports. I agree, the Cards are well-run, have great fans, and are certainly near the top of the heap in baseball. The best in professional sports? In my opinion, it can go to none other than the Detroit Red Wings. Incredible record of sustained success. They consistently get it done in the regular season every year, and have been able to go the distance in the playoffs as well. I just read the other day that they have not had a top-10 draft pick since 1990. Unbelievable. Props to their scouting dept for some magnificent late-round finds. I would also lump the Pittsburgh Steelers up near the top. You know what you are up against every time you play them. A consistent, solid, hard nosed effort every week, and a professional organization from the top down. Who else ya got???

If they miss the playoffs, it will be because of the hard-on Dicky J gets for the 13-10 games. It's impossible to get all of the bounces week-in, week-out when you're trying to win by kicking FG's. Hopefully the "new" coordinator and an "experienced" Trent Edwards can find some red zone success, but why expect it? It's been the same story for a decade. I'm fully expecting safeties and FG's and a lot of grind 'em out games. Again. Trust me, I love the 13-10 WIN...But the 8-5 LOSS is a real stinger...

Hahha, yes you're right, I have seen the Aztec...Providing free alcohol to your design team may not be the best idea...

The piece of this that's comical is the Patriots are ALMOST coming off looking innocent, and pounding their chests about it..."See! We told you we didn't tape the Rams' walkthru!!" Walsh personally turned over 7 tapes from the '01-'02 seasons. Think how many more there were. And Walsh disclosed that he was VERY fearful of being caught taping during games, and that Belichick and management repeatedly informed the videographers to be discreet. It's very clear they knew what they were doing was against the rules. Belichick's weak excuses last season ("We misinterpreted a rule" and "We gained no competetive advantage") are complete b.s. If there was no competetive advantage, you wouldn't have KNOWINGLY broken the rules. IMO, if he was fined $500K for the taping of the Jets, he should get whacked for the same amount for each of these 7 tapes also. In addition, the Boston Herald looks like a real rinky-dink operation today.

Exactly!!! There's some incredible music out there. Can anybody tell me why one of the network stations have not created an hour-long show where bands perform? I know of Austin City Limits on PBS, and the weekly band on Saturday Night Live....Are there any others??? It makes no sense...With all of the other garbage shows the networks currently run, they don't want a weekly music hour? Would the ratings absolutely suck??? I don't get it??? Imagine, 1-hour long, on NBC/CBS/ABC, perhaps three bands per week...Two "lesser known" bands play two songs each, and a "headliner" band plays three or four songs to close the show. Live music. Or perhaps taped from one of the band's previous live performances. Why would this show not get a chance, but they continue with the reality and game show crap like crazy? Anybody know the approximate costs to book bands? But why would bands NOT want to get their music out there to a national audience??? It only means more potential album sales and concert revenue, right? I do not get this....

There's some very talented bands and artists on the list, naturally. There are many more on there that are poppy, marketed trash. "Gross album sales" as a barometer of what's "good" or has staying power is absolutely rediculous. On that list of 40 I have purchased 2: the Alicia Keys album (I play piano and she is excellent, love her stuff) and the White Stripes album (they rip, love Jack's other band the Raconteurs even more.)