BrandoFan

There are a couple of reasons for it: 1. Same as Sopranos, West Wing WAS at its most original and crispest in it first couple of seasons. After a while, quality can't help but decline, the impact on the viewer isn't the same. It tends to level out before finally jumping the shark. 2. I have seen seasons 3 and 4 only sporadically and I know season 5 sucks major ass. So that's why I used seasons 1 and 2 as benchmark. Some people think that the follwing seasons were every bit as good. So there is less conincidence here than you think. Also, what I am saying is SportNight was NEVER as good as West Wing. Cute, quirky, snappy dialogue, interesting backstage dynamic...BUT the thematic scope and depth, the acting and production value of West Wing , IMO are incomparable. Both were "quality", but WW was simply groundbreaking by TV standards. And yeah Peter Krause is good on 6FU, but I am not a big fan of that show -- never was. The Aussie actress who played his g/f, though, was fantastic in the first season or two.

I am telling you what the radio SHOULD be and sometimes WAS....NOT what it is now. Of course Clearchannel and Infinity don't give a s***. No kidding. It's easy to say "let the ratings sort it out". How very. But hey, if people want to listen to a talentless, baiting hot dog vendor, have at it. I pity future generations.

SportsNight was pretty good as I remember it, but WW in its prime was simply on a different level quality wise.

No, now is not the time. Last 2 years has not been the time. DVD's make it so much easier, tho -- I don't watch TV on any sort of regular basis, but I "catch up" on full seasons in literally 2-3 days. Don't get me wrong, this is Network TV afterall and so WW sometimes is too simplistic and sugary. But the first few seasons are the s***. The 2nd season finale, the Rose Garden of Gethsemane, and the 4-5 episodes that lead up to it is of exceptional quality. IMO. The brothers in arms sequence - talk about awesome.

Gary Cole was hilarious in Office Space. I was just saying that WW used to be peer-less. And that moment...that's vintage Sheen, vintage Sorkin. Corny? Yeah, but awesome too. Allison Janney and Stockard Canning can do little wrong in my book, anyway.

I know since Sorkin decamped, the show's a giant suckfest. But you gotta admit, the first couple of season were nothing short of excellent. I was watching season 2 DVD recently and the quality finale ends with one of the greatest moments I've ever seen on TV or otherwise, set to Dire Straits' Brothers in Arms. Then again me and Martin Sheen go way back to Badlands and AN, so maybe I am biased.

I wonder what Village Voice's J. Hoberman has to say about it. The man has been right-on a lot in the last 20 years. These peeps, mostly college students and twentysomethings from Canada and US discuss the flick: http://www.fametracker.com/ijsbb/forum.cgi...s=20&s=date&g=0 Just make sure you click "show all messages" on the right -- it will take you back to Feb 17th 2004 when the thread was started. Otherwise, you'll only see what was posted today.

I am suprised noone picked up on the Aileen Wuornos/Monster facts vs. fictional license.

I was one. *ducks* A really stupid question warrants a response that will highlight and satirize it's stupidity Plus, this guy is self-serving as hell -- always trying to justify his drug-dealing past with these inane analogies and reasoning.

Well then....lets get rid of the oh-so-stalinist ACLU....

Whoa, where do you get the cojones to call arguably the only watchable and relevant reality TV out there "piece of s***"?

If by "most talented", you mean "least talented", then I agree. To put him on the same level as a fairly respected broadway character comedienne Lisa Kudrow or Jen Aniston who is talented (if annoying) across the board, well, let's just say I disagree. I think there is a reason why ML couldn't get work even when the show was at its peak. He's better looking than Schwimmer and Perry and yet no dice.....Hmmm. In any case, Friends absolutely blow (with the exception of Ross almost fainting and diving under the bed barely in time for the Bruce Willis Mirrior Show -- by the time sex machine happened, I was already under the table dying). But even Izzy has to admit the first 4-5 seasons were pretty funny. And Izzy, I laughed my ASS of at some of the things Cosby did and said on his original show. I used to love re-runs of that stuff. I also found Mrs. Huxtable almost inexplicably hot in the early eps. So on Cosby disrespect. Bob Hope might have been a real ass of a human being, but the man was truly gifted, complete with photographic memory and great confidence in himself. Some of his humor is dated, it's expected, but if you're gonna concede that Humphrey Bogart was a good actor, then Hope was defiantely a prolific comic and a cultural icon.

Hey man....quality is quality. A friend of mine is a HUGE fan of Scrubs. I have long, long given up on sitcoms and am content with my Simpsons, LSS, Seinfeld, Fraiser, Mash, Family Guy, CyE DVD's.....Anyway, that friend said the show is funny and I've reluctantly seen 5 or 6 eps and think he's right. The thing is, given how PITIFUL every other sitcom (possibly excluding the overrated Arrested Development) in the last 2-3 years has been, Scrubs is literally in the league of its own IMO Funny stuff. Lose Tara Reid though. Seriously.

I can only comment on Julie as a radio personality. For all I know she is this mad, power-driven whore from Hell. All I know is she loves baseball and has a visible rhetorical limp on the Sox side. Who really knows how she got her gig while at NW and the subsequent promotions? Who did she blow and/or sell out to get where she is? Maybe once at the Score, she pulled a Jimenez and talked s*** about everyone, esp behind their backs. Or insisted on getting special treatment from her bosses. Or was simply annoying. On the other side of the coin.....maybe people hating her over at the Score are insecure mysoginists. Maybe she didn't want to socialize and it resulted a in a couple of grudges.....I have no idea why Les can't stand her and Bernsy. The truth is probably in between: she is not as innocent/simple as she sounds, nor do people at the Score who supposedly can't stand her are being reasonable adults in this case. Egos collide, misunderstandings happen. The rest is between her and the management. Management won. This what Mark Liptak over at BSI says his trusted source had told him:

No, a convenience store is a business. Profit is good and all, it may be a necessity up to a point....But sports radio is radio first and foremost, so it's a powerful tool of influence, but also happens to be about sports, which is in turn about people's dreams and emotions and even thoughts. It's up to the radio station to set and uphold certain standards of broadcast excellence and provide an appropriate forum for the listeners to participate in....NOT the other way around. Students do not dictate the teachers what the carriculum should be. Once you surrender such lofty concepts as integrity, fairness, diversity, etc and concede all ideals to the Great God Dollar, it will help usher in a new reality, dominated by incompetent, conflict-merchants -- Mike Norths of this world.

A lead is a lead is a lead. For a closer, for a set-up man, it doesn't matter. Closers come in with bases loaded too. Often. Teams do not come back after trailing after 8th inning as often as some think. So when Tom Gordon gives up a 2-run double in the 8th to put our opponent up by a run, the way we hit last yeat when it mattered, you might have as well ended those games after 8th. Marte was good in 2002 in dividing himself between set-up/closer duties. Only 2 blown saves. His ERA was much higher, but he "made up for it" by getting the job DONE when it mattered most. And I let Marte off the hook because his overall ERA in was 2003 simply too good. I wouldn't put him in Gagne, Smotz or Rivewra's league because of this BS business -- consider the excellent overall numbers a mitigating circumstance if you will. With Gordon, 3.20 ERA while way above average is not that great for a reliever, and given how many times he blew a close games (5 in 14), I don't think he was nearly as good as advertised. Good, but replaceable. But see, that's the thing: Gordon was awful as a set-up man, so his greatness as a closer gets diluted. Had he not done so much damage early on, I wouldn't say he was overrated last year. But he HAD blown game after game in April and May and you can't change that. Glossing that over is like ignoring a hitter's lack of clutch hitting in the first two months from a 5th spot and only concentrating on his good clutch hitting the rest of the year from the 3rd spot in the line-up. Can it be misleading? Yes. Is blowing 8 saves in 17 attempts "good" for anyone? Not even close. If you want to use blown holds AND blown saves, fine....but ignoring how a pitcher peforms with game on the line (2 run lead or less or a tie game or even a 1-run deficit in some cases) is not wise. Similarly, avg. with RISP can be misleading as hell, but totally ignoring it is not right, either. Somewhat OT: do we realize that 1 of Konerko, Koch, Wright and White having a "typical" year would have probably meant a ALC crown last year? Just a couple of game swing that results from added produciton and we probably hold on to the lead till the end. Which makes you wonder: just WHICH one of the current "role" players (Shingo, Show, Rauch, Wright, Uribe, Rowand) will decide our fate in a close pennant race, one way or another, in this upcoming season Even more OT: the BLOWN SLAVES reference was to Chip Caray messing up in the heat of passion a few years ago. Absolutely priceless.

Change 290 to 280 and 45 to 40 and I agree. I think if he stays healthy, Frank has a couple of year left in him. He won't be Roider Bonds but he might just have a good, 950+ OPS campaign in 2004. Anything beyond that is a bonus-- it's not like Sox will give him a long-term contract --they couldn't ait to get rid of him when he is underpaid, lol. Go Frank!!!

ss2k4 notwithstanding, there must be a short island somewheres for da retards who think this is funny. Aluminum bats were invented with your mugs in mind. And you go gurrl, sing your tin-eared little heart out! You are a stah, don't mind da heytas! Just wear a helmet from now on, ok? There's nothing sacred anymore.

Sorry, can't let Gordon off the hook. There is clutch hitting (and some of it unquestionably has to do with luck) and there is clutch relief pitching -- give up 6 ER with an 7-run lead, but 1-2-3 them with a 1-run lead.. I mean, Marte? His ERA is excellent enough that I can overlook blown slaves (Chip Carey, I am look at you, lol). But You gotta penalize Uncle Tom at some point for the 5 blown saves. You say 8th inning.....have you checked out how many times a team comes back after trailing at the end of 8th inning? Not often. Gordon, White, Koch and Marte were blowing games left and right early in the season and as you know we could never really recover from that. Marte I can forgive, but the other 3 have some 'splaining to do. Besides....Marte close quite a few games last season -- as in 2002, it was by commiitee fo most of the year. I don't believe in characterizing them as set-up men/closerts. But even if you insist I do so, fine....look at other "good" set-up men in the game and tell me how many of them have 5-8 blown saves. Compare their blown (house)HOLDS if you must. I am curious where Sox pitchers would stack up. I am not saying Marte wasn't very good - he was. But he comparing him to Gagne and Rivera would not be right IMO. And Gordon? Because of his blown slaves, his impressive 3.20 ERA is closer to 4.00 if you classify "clutch" ER given up as more "important" than non-clutch.

And to further cement your legacy

Sending Cheat off with two graphics he posted that caused me to lose my s*** at the time

Depends on the age of the victim and the actual act. I know the law cannot/should not distinguish technicalities and has to protect the weakest victim in the worst case scenario...... But I would give some garden-variety creep copping a feel from or videotaping a 13-yo, say, 5-7 years in the slam......whereas someone who rapes a 9yo in the dark alley, probably 15+ years. He probably won't make it anyway if the rest of the inmates have their say.

It's got one of the leads from Yu Tu Mama Tambien in it. The camp fare like Honey and Flashdance and that NY ballet academy movie I forgot the name of.....If you treat them as comedies, with talentless hot chicks of dubious racial make-up fellating scenery and uttering craptacular lines....is there anything better! No Havana Nights for me though. It doesn't look like "so bad it's good" that i love. Sadly.

I heard your look-alike sub'd for her last night. Is it true?

:headshake