The Critic

So I was bummed about no Christian on Raw until I thought about it and remembered that if they're going to work him into a storyline with Jeff Hardy (and by extension, Edge) he would appear on SmackDown anyway. SPOILER ALERT:

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Jan 5, 2009 -> 09:34 PM) I usually hate the sports guy but he had an article on wrestling in ESPN the mag. I always knew he was a huge fan because he references it a lot. Anyways, he says he has stopped watching since the Benoit thing (which I don't believe him, but whatever). This made him realize how punished the wrestlers are, etc. As a solution he suggested an offseason for wrestling. I thought it was interesting, and, in addition to freshening up the wrestlers, I think it would certainly freshen up the storylines. Maybe end it with SummerSlam for 3 or 4 months, then have a big "opening day" Raw and lead into the Rumble as your big event. I think it would work, as I believe some fans need a break just as the performers do. It's an interesting thought, but maybe Vince worries that if you force the average wrestling fans to find something else to do, they wouldn't come back. I was thinking perhaps stagger the offseason for each brand, but then the backstage politics would go crazy when "draft time" came around.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Jan 4, 2009 -> 12:08 PM) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-kelly/...n_b_154980.html I just laughed out loud at this. Further proof that George W. Bush lives in an alternate reality. Granted, Obama is owned just as completely by the Israeli lobby (god do I hate that about American politics), but the irony in Bush's statement is hilarious and I bet he doesn't even realize it. Sadly his administration has been riddled with those kinds of contradictions for virtually the whole presidency. Jesus Christ. My keyboard is soaked from the irony dripping off that story.

QUOTE (kyyle23 @ Jan 5, 2009 -> 05:57 PM) I have been kind of hot/cold watching RAW recently, has there been a "Mystery guy coming" buildup on the show indicating someone is coming in soon? Not really, but here is the possible scenario:

QUOTE (knightni @ Jan 5, 2009 -> 04:59 PM) Fabulous Sports Babe Least accurate nickname ever.

QUOTE (kyyle23 @ Jan 5, 2009 -> 05:37 PM) Stevie Richards has some of the worst health luck in the industry. Just wierd stuff happens to him consistently Critic, I cant wait to watch tonite, I was wondering how long they would wait. I wonder if there was indecision or if it was a scripted thing to delay this. And I agree about Stevie, he's been snakebitten health-wise. Solid midcard guy, good at putting people over and was especially good in the Right To Censor angle.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Jan 5, 2009 -> 05:18 PM) The amount of people at the gym right after New Year's is f***ing hilarious because you know why they're there, and you know you won't see any of them again after 2 weeks. It's funny cuz it's true.

Reliable source on another board posted this as a spoiler, so I will too:

QUOTE (Kid Gleason @ Jan 5, 2009 -> 11:07 AM) I thought you were lukewarm on that one. It grew on me big-time. It kept popping up on shuffle, and I ended up making it into its own playlist. and Tomorrow Police is on my list of favorite songs.

Turn Back The Clock days for the following uniforms: 1969 1972 1988

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jan 2, 2009 -> 10:41 PM) No way. He can't crack LA's line-up. He's paid more money than Bobby Abreu will get. If he does anything at all he will be gone in a season. The only thing he's worth is the hot dog vendor who yells "hot dogs" at the top of his lungs every other step he takes. PLEASE trade that annoying vendor. Anywhere.

Freida Pinto is really cute, but I don't know that she brought anything that amazing to the movie. She didn't stand out to me other than her looks, and her character was not what made me enjoy the film. I'm sure the buzz from Slumdog will bring her some bigger roles, we'll see what she has then, I suppose. I hope that the big-name movies struggling will lead to more films relying on good scripts and premises rather than banking on "star power", but I'm not optimistic about that. It's such a celebrity-driven culture, and I doubt a few underperforming movies will change that.

I can't believe I forgot one of my favorites of the year, definitely a Top 5 CD: Valient Thorr - Immortalizer :headbang

QUOTE (santo=dorf @ Jan 2, 2009 -> 03:38 PM) John McDonough said this was the best day of the history of the Blackhawks. Typical Cub mentality. It's all about the Disneyland experience and not the outcome of the game. That's a really disappointing quote. There have been three "best days in the history of the Blackhawks". They involved a beautiful silver trophy with a bowl on top. The last "best day" happened two years before I was born. That's where the focus should be. I want to see a REAL "best day" before I keel over.

QUOTE (watchtower41 @ Jan 2, 2009 -> 02:30 PM) fair enough. They look like the dirty Russians though! It's all that red on their uniforms.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jan 2, 2009 -> 12:42 PM) Yes, you're right, there are a large number of kathoeys or ladyboys in both Thailand and the Philippines. Actually, my g/f is Filipina, she lives in Cebu City, I was there for Christmas. There's a saying, that "the most beautiful women in Thailand are men," although I can usually tell right away, even with surgery on the Adam's apple. It's either the voice, the height, or the musculature in the arms/shoulders/legs, or the fake boobs. One of those always gives it away. ...and if all else fails, the penis is a dead giveaway...

QUOTE (knightni @ Jan 2, 2009 -> 11:35 AM) Is that where no one wins or loses? Too much sister-kissing going on there for me...

QUOTE (watchtower41 @ Jan 2, 2009 -> 10:20 AM) Easily one of the top sporting events I've ever attended.... even with all the surrounding hype, it exceeded expectations. Towards the end when things were looking bleek I decided to change the Dee-troit sucks chants with Let's Go White Sox or Wrigley sucks... which people appreciated while waiting in the horrendous bathroom lines. Awesome event though...everything was perfect except the outcome, looked so jacked up in the 1st period but had to succomb to the USSR All-Star team. Reality check for our young guns for sure. Anybody know where I can find some high-res pictures? A better joke would have been the Swedish National Team. 7 Swedes 6 Canadians 4 Americans 3 Czechs 1 Russian 1 Finn

It's......The Paulie Awards!!! http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport...icle2083736.ece I'd have liked him to call them the Paul E. Awards, but that's splitting hairs.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Jan 1, 2009 -> 08:14 PM) I don't plan on seeing Yes Man. My mind is blown that anyone could not enjoy CCoBB. I thought it was a masterpiece. Yes Man was okay, actually. Not a great movie, but a fun goofy comedy. I'd recommend it as a rental.

QUOTE (Tony82087 @ Jan 1, 2009 -> 07:23 PM) I just don't think it accomplishes really anything. As I said in my last post, expecting to get anything for Bulin that can actually help this team isn't realistic. Huet doesn't inspire any sort of confidence in me, and while I still contend the Hawks will not be Cup Contenders this year, you're asking for trouble trading an 11-2-4 goaltender from a young team. While I don't disagree, I would say that this team has recovered from Savard being let go, so that shows me that they're adaptable to a pretty large degree. I don't think Tallon has shut any doors as far as trading Khabi is concerned, nor should he. Maybe a contending team loses a goalie and something can match up. I thought maybe Jersey would be that team, but their kid Clemmensen has turned into quite a find in net, so that ended any thoughts I had of a possible NJ deal.

QUOTE (Tony82087 @ Jan 1, 2009 -> 06:13 PM) Which I don't feel is realistic, hence the post. The numbers alone make a trade almost impossible, let alone the actual need for Bulin from other teams around the league. A playoff team would have to lose a goalie, have the cap room to take on Bulin, and actually offer something of value. It just doesn't add up right now. That line I quoted from your earlier post gave me the impression that the "trade Bulin" posts were idiotic, which I don't feel they were/are. I agree that a lot of things have to fall in place for a Bulin deal to happen, which is too bad because this would be the best time to deal him. You'd have time to ease the new backup in, and time for the new Hawk to get accustomed to his new team.

QUOTE (Milkman delivers @ Jan 1, 2009 -> 03:40 PM) What other performances have you seen this year that would make you say that Rourke's job may be Oscar-worthy? I don't watch a lot of movies, so I wasn't basing it on comparisons. I was basing my opinion on what I saw on the screen. What I saw was a very good performance, but in my own personal individual opinion, not a great one. A bit of a one-note job, but that falls in line with the plot and tone of the movie. I was expecting to be blown away, due to everything I've read and heard about his performance, but I wasn't blown away. Aren't you going to ask me which performances I saw that made me say it may not be Oscar-worthy?

QUOTE (Tony82087 @ Jan 1, 2009 -> 03:41 PM) Loving the posts from a month ago saying trade Bulin while his value was "at it's highest". It's still not a bad idea to trade him if someone has something the Hawks need. He's gone after this season, so if the opportunity presents itself to improve yourself for the future, I think you have to do it, especially since they're not an elite team yet. My only hesitation would be that if anything happens to Huet after you trade Khabibulin, you have two basically untested goalies, but that will be the case going forward anyway. Why not give Niemi or Crawford some NHL time while addressing a need through a Khabi trade? Again, all that relies on someone needing a goalie and offering someone the Hawks feel they need.

I'm glad now that I didn't spend any money on this game. What a disappointment.