Offside Number 76

Yes. Something that, while classless, stupid, and counterproductive, is not and should not be a crime. We're allowed to be a-holes in this great free land of ours. Most, fortunately, choose not to.

It's Castle Rock v. Gonzales, 545 U.S. 748 (2005). Fing's quotation, "The Supreme Court ruled on Monday..." is from the 2005 NYT article.

I think cops are great. I long ago passed the point where I thought of them as the enemy. That said, if you think there aren't a few on every force who are just looking for a way to bring some "uppity" young black man down, you're naive. I don't believe the backfill story that Peterson pushed an officer, either. He'd be charged with more if he had.

He's black, famous, and didn't do exactly what the officers wanted him to do.

Well, not necessarily. There certainly are plenty, plenty of good charities that try to keep administrative costs low and benefits to the community as high as possible. A couple of things to look for: Is it named after a person? If so, is it locally based rather than nationally recognized? And is a family member of the person on the board or otherwise an administrator? Compare, for example, Gilda's Club or the Susan G. Komen foundation to some of the organizations in the article (and their local counterparts). Has it been around for a long time? Is the organizer or namesake (if alive) actively involved in philanthropy? Finally, and maybe most importantly, can you trace the organization's activities to a societal benefit? Two of my local favorites, Food Bank of WNY and Ronald McDonald house, have visible and tangible benefits. I can think of others, even some run by or on behalf of former Buffalo athletes, that seem to specialize in fundraising, advertising, lobbying, and golf tournaments--but I couldn't tell you what they actually do for the community. These, I avoid.

It's not a video. It's part of "Clayton's Mailbag," which sounds somewhat disturbing. It's about halfway down this page: http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/8119571/nfl-league-makes-right-call-blackout-requirements

Here, for those who don't want to go through a crappy BR slideshow: Cardinals: Kevin Kolb Falcons: Peria Jerry Ravens: LaQuan Williams Bills: Alex Carrington Panthers: Captain Munnerlyn Bears: Roberto Garza Bengals: Kevin Huber Browns: Ben Watson Cowboys: Orlando Scandrick Broncos: Ty Warren Lions: Gosder Cherilus Packers: Andrew Quarless Texans: Garrett Graham Colts: Jeff Linkenbach Jaguars: Cecil Shorts III Chiefs: Alex Tanney Dolphins: John Jerry Vikings: John Carlson Patriots: Devin McCourty Saints: Michael Higgins Giants: Ramses Barden Jets: Tim Tebow Raiders: Khalif Barnes Eagles: Dion Lewis Steelers: Shaun Suisham Chargers: Jeromey Clary 49ers: Randy Moss Seahawks: Tarvaris Jackson Rams: Kellen Clemens Buccaneers: Jeremy Trueblood Titans: Matt Hasselbeck Redskins: Lorenzo Alexander

Tell me I'm wrong: There is no better show in rock than Springsteen. The man brings it every time. And brings it for three-plus hours.

In the pit for Springsteen a couple of months ago. Technically, it's not a "seat," but when you can touch the stage, you don't care if you're standing.

Echo that. Anyway, I'll bet RW keeps the blackout percentage at 100. Not because he's cheap; because he's a traditionalist.

Did I win?!

Is TG a "beat reporter" now? I thought he was brought back to the News as an essayist / columnist.

Last figure I saw was ten and a half minutes. EDIT: Here's a WSJ article from 2010; 11 minutes: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704281204575002852055561406.html

200.

I agree with most of what is written above. If the league wants to improve the in-stadium experience, it has to do so at the expense of TV timeouts and in-stadium advertising. An NFL game, in-person, is so slow. The San Diego "no charger" game is the last I went to, and it was great. It was like being at an untelevised college game. The pace was good and we entertained ourselves just fine without the loudspeakers blaring ads at us in between every play. Actual conversations took place with fans two rows away! But the NFL, of course, is not going to cannibalize its TV revenues for the sake of improving the in-stadium feel. To the contrary, the movement of late games back to 4:25pm means that the in-stadium experience will be worse; it's obvious that they are going to add more TV timeouts and such. So the league is turning to technology? Does the NFL really think that I'm going to bring my iPad into a stadium so it can get beer-soaked and broken? Does the NFL really think that I want to fiddle with a smartphone to find a replay, seven minutes later over an overloaded wifi connection, of some missed call? If the Bills want to improve the live game experience: 1. Widen traffic routes and/or increase public transportation so it doesn't take two hours to leave. 2. Expedite the entry process, and it is a process, by adding gates (as long as they're renovating) and staff. 3. Cut the in-stadium noise through the loudspeakers so that we can hear ourselves talk and cheer. 4. Cut the TV timeouts. MAYBE no. 2 will happen; the rest will not.

I have to disagree. And I wonder, if they had better QBs, whether you would think differently.

1) I remember it being an "old man" look, too. 2) I was at New Era HQ earlier today. Possibly the only offices I've ever been in where hats are acceptable. And yeah, the employees leave the stickers on the hats. Oh, and (3) if any New Era employees are reading this, tell the girl in the Brooklyn Nets hat that she has a fan.

I wish New Era had more non-fitted choices. It makes it very difficult to buy a cap as a gift.

That's how I read it, too.

I wouldn't buy it either. I have expensive taste, but it runs to clean-lined minimalism and not all that flowery crap in that place. I'm jealous of McGee's condo in the Avant.

Look, not the most reliable source, but: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorilla_Glass I don't think it's strong enough for a football helmet.

The fact that it was part of a receivership helped drive that price down, too.

Yeah, and Rypien had a great year in 1991 (92 SB) but he still was mediocre at best. You didn't have to pay attention to it or respond to it.

Who the hell is Chad? Chan? He isn't a big ol' anything. He's just not big.

Agreed that it's incredible, but I completely fail to see how that's going to work on a football field. Unless someone needs to run an app off of an opponent's helmet. Gorilla Glass (Corning) is designed to be a relatively tough, yet incredibly electric-sensitive, surface for smart devices. It is nowhere near strong enough to withstand any impact in any sport. Just drop an iPhone without protection. You'll see what I mean.