The Critic

QUOTE(Kid Gleason @ Sep 19, 2005 -> 09:15 AM) Took the dog out last night around midnight. She was done doing her business and we started walking back to the house, when all of a sudden she stopped dead in her tracks. I heard a sound and looked up. There, perched on top of the house was the sillouhette of the biggest damn bird I have ever seen in my entire life!!! This thing was friggin' HUGE! Obviously it was an owl with sights on my dog (12 week old cocker, so she isn't that big), but I could do nothing but stand there mouth agape and muttering "holy s***...holy s***...holy s***...". Then it spead it's wings and took flight, and I stood there with a louder "holy s***...holy s***...". My wife kept asking what was going on, and I could only reply with a nervous laugh with more "holy s***'s" and "good lord...oh my god" type of stuff. I swear, this thing was HUGE! I don't ever exaggerate the size of animals I have run into, so trust me, this thing was monstrous! However big an owl can get to in these parts, this thing was every little bit that large. Puppy will NOT be going out by herself at night for a LONG time to come. Sounds like Kid Gleason will NOT be going out by HIMself at night for a LONG time to come.....

I find myself skeptical. This seems like a pretty quick 180 by North Korea. And this part - "North Korea doesn't want to totally disarm without getting concessions. Washington has said it wants the weapons programs completely gone before rewarding North Korea" makes it sound like the deal could still fall apart. This kinda smells like more posturing by North Korea to me. I hope they're sincere, though.

QUOTE(LosMediasBlancas @ Sep 19, 2005 -> 08:32 AM) HOLY s*** you like the almighty H?? I love Halloween at DD. Can't make it this year though, I'll be at the Riv rockin' out to the Black Crowes. Hell yeah, I love Local H! I think Scott Lucas is quite under-rated as a guitarist. I also like the side project he's in called Cisco Pike. He doesn't sing for Pike and they have a bass player, so Scott can concentrate on ripping out some excellent solos. Enjoy the Crowes, I'll be at the Double D enjoying the Halloween show ( and enduring the Seger portion of it, that's gonna be torture. Old Time Rock and Roll, Turn The Page, Night Moves...... :headshake :sleep :puke ).

Just curious - what would you guess for the attendance? I saw some highlights from Saturday's game and the place looked fuller than I'd have expected. Looks like maybe the diehards won't hold a grudge?

QUOTE(Kid Gleason @ Sep 19, 2005 -> 06:58 AM) Jesus is a REAL tough band to compare to anybody. The only one of theirs I had was the first one, as after that they real did away with much of what made them so well known in the beginning, and that was their amazing use of feedback. I have never heard a band that knew how to control it as well as they did. To explain them? I would a take the 60's psychedelic bands, mix them with the 60's garage bands, add some 80's London Goth scene (before it was called "Goth" though) and add a dash of REM and 80's Pop, then throw on the feedback. Picture that sound, and you are getting close. Droning vocals though, and that is kind of the Psychedelic influence. They came about during the 80's garage band love that gave us Husker Du, The Lime Spiders, and The Scientists, so that is where the garage came from. The Goth...well...they wore alot of black. Ahhhh, the Lime Spiders!! I saw them open for Public Image Ltd. about 1/2 my life ago, and they were VERY good. I thought their albums didn't do them justice, though - they sounded much better live than on record.

I'm getting antsy for the Bob Mould show. I just want the 29th to get here already!!! I also picked up tickets for the Double Door Halloween show, which is ALWAYS a ton of fun. This year Local H is performing as Hall & Oates - that's gonna be hilarious, and yet I get the feeling that the Local H treatment is gonna make some of those songs listenable. Also appearing: Ness as the Smiths The Last Vegas as the Cult Woolworthy as Jane's Addiction The 8th Grade as Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band ( I could do without this one, actually ) Blackbox as Smashing Pumpkins Good times. I'm thinking about being Ozzie for Halloween. "Ay tell you, brother, thees keed ees a goo' bartainder......"

QUOTE(Jordan4life_2005 @ Sep 19, 2005 -> 12:09 AM) I think it would be horrible to settle for the WC after being up 15 games in your division. That's a terrible way to back into the playoffs. Yeah, but it does beat to s*** the thought of missing the postseason altogether. As ugly a thought as the Wild Card is, the thought of a total collapse is 1000 times worse.

QUOTE(Maury @ Sep 18, 2005 -> 10:52 PM) Good. You'll be there so people can blame you for the jinx and not my smoking. :finger Happy anniversary and tell the Mrs. too. I'll have you know that I've only seen one Sox loss in person this year, that s***TY game against Oakland on July 9. My personal record is 5-1. And the last game I went to was the Detroit blowout that started the 7-game win streak. So it IS still your smoking..... :finger Thanks for the anniversary wishes - I can't believe it's 13 years already....Jeebus, am I ever gettin' old.....

QUOTE(alexgtp @ Sep 16, 2005 -> 03:31 PM) NONE OF THOSE! I usually use expedia to see what the market for airfare is. Than I will go to each individual AIRLINES website anc book directly with them. Usually can find airfare 10-15% cheaper on the airlines particular websites. Also ATA and SOuthwest do not appear on any of those travel site's. And they are usually the least expensive airline carriers.! I used Expedia and got an ATA flight each way. But it was a while ago, maybe they no longer have contracts with those carriers. I had no problem at all with Expedia, I'd recommend them.

QUOTE(bmags @ Sep 18, 2005 -> 10:18 PM) i've never listened to jesus and mary chain...should i? I'd say yes. Very good 80s alternarock. Nice fuzzy guitars, but I'm kinda drawing a blank on a comparison. Maybe in the same ballpark as stuff like the Pixies or the Smiths. Perhaps another "older" Soxtalker can help with a comparison? My favorite J&MC song is "Head On".

QUOTE(Maury @ Sep 18, 2005 -> 10:09 PM) We'll be on at 6:30 ct. High Speed Link Dial up Link Just me and Guido as far as I know tomorrow. Schedules colide and we've been having a hard time getting together. We're back on air Monday though! GO SOX! [email protected] Sorry, I won't be with you guys, and I won't be listening, cuz I'll be celebrating my wedding anniversary at U.S. Cellular Field!!!! Is that romantic or WHAT??? To the wonderful Mrs. Critic and Mini-Critic..... Last time I went to USCF the Sox went on a 7-game winning streak - let's see if my MOJO is still kickin'!

If only the Sox could blow out the Twinks today, I think that would go a long way towards re-establishing their confidence.

QUOTE(fathom @ Sep 18, 2005 -> 10:43 AM) You can count the people who are still overly optimistic on one hand now, it seems. When guys like Hawk, DJ, and Farmer seem to have lost hope, then you know it might be time to be worried. The Sox aren't giving us much reason to be optimistic. Every bad game, every HORRIBLE Carl Everett at-bat, every self-doubting quote makes it harder to believe. But as down as I am right now, I still believe that time will run out on the Injuns. Of course, a win today and 2 of 3 over the Cartoons would help the mood quite a bit...

QUOTE(SnB @ Sep 18, 2005 -> 10:38 AM) i understand all that, but does it really need to come up in a thread like this? People are just venting. I think it's understandable. Almost every thread these days reverts somehow to the slump, so it's difficult for me to try to tell people where to vent.

QUOTE(SnB @ Sep 18, 2005 -> 10:36 AM) i still don't understand putting all the blame on KW, but yes, i agree with alot of what he had to say. Well, FWIW he seemed to place some blame on JR too, I think implying that KW did not have the fiscal freedom to ( for instance ) take on Griffey's entire salary if everything else in the deal was acceptable for both sides.

QUOTE(fathom @ Sep 18, 2005 -> 10:32 AM) Because that's what happens. There were tons of us going nuts when the Cubs collapsed also. Very true. I know SOME Cub fans who have been waiting for something like this since October 2003. I also know some decent, knowledgable baseball fans who happen to favor the Cubs, and these people are sympathetic towards Sox fans right now, because they've felt the pain. I just want the Sox to pull out of the spiral for their own sake and for our sake. The avoidance of Cub troll trauma will be a happy side effect of that.

It's a VERY sad day when a Moron article gets anything right.

QUOTE(Mr. Showtime @ Sep 17, 2005 -> 09:39 PM) Seems like recently neither the Yanks or Indians will lose, only us. Not trying to be a prick or anything ( Lord knows I don't have to try ), but that's what Cub fans say to this day about the '69 Mets. ....it doesn't make them feel better, and it won't make US feel any better either....

Anyone else notice that the Sox are only 4 games ahead of the Yankees for the AL Wild Card? This is getting f***in' serious now. Sox gotta get some goddamn wins and put this s*** to rest already.

The Sox will "win or die trying" with the players currently on their roster.

The only team the Sox have in their crosshairs right now are the Sox.

QUOTE(DonkeyKongerko @ Sep 17, 2005 -> 08:32 PM) I know this is a bit off topic and hopefully none of us hate El Duque as a person, but this guy has really been a class act this year. It's easy for me to see why Yankee fans really fell in love with this guy. He leaves everything out on the field and takes every single hit against him as a personal insult. Even after laying an egg in a crucial game vs. Minnesota, he still conducts himself with class and delivers the cold hard truth to the press that he just has no confidence in himself right now. I don't know if many others could do the same, it takes a big man to admit to your shortcomings like that. As for the Sox, I hope Hawk is praying to the baseball gods right now: "MERCY!" Billy Koch said all the right things, too, but I don't want him on the mound for the Sox right now either.

QUOTE(WilliamTell @ Sep 17, 2005 -> 05:20 PM) Only having one World Series in 14 straight years is kinda being teased too. But at leas they have one. Yeah, they do have one. And in a lot of ways, that would be enough. I'd settle for one out of 14.....wouldn't you? Beats 0-for-88.....

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Sep 17, 2005 -> 05:17 PM) You are right. If they don't make the playoffs this will be a more damaging season than if they lost 100 games. Much in the same way a 9th inning one-run loss can be much worse than a 10-0 drubbing sometimes. What would next year's slogan be if El Choke-O Grande comes to pass? "....at least we died trying...."?

The worst thing about this is, IF the worst-case scenario plays out we can never trust ANY lead the Sox might ever have again. ...and I'm not even sure how much I'm kidding about that....