Middle Buffalo

QUOTE (YASNY @ Nov 7, 2008 -> 01:53 AM) I may be wrong, but I seem to remember him yelling that from the podium at Grant Pack. It appears that it took place outside the Bears' locker room. From Sneed: "Washington, who reportedly screamed, "Let's give them the finger" on national TV, being refused pregame entry to the Bears locker room. Coach Mike Ditka left orders that no one could get in. No one." http://www.suntimes.com/news/sneed/224565,...sneed23.article I don't think Reinsdorf (sadly, I'm not on a first name basis with him - he calls me Buffalo) would have traded/released Konerko for swearing at the rally, though.

Jon Stewart asked Obama if his white half would have trouble voting for a black guy when it came time to cast his ballot. http://vodpod.com/watch/1124803-barack-oba...-the-daily-show It's at the 5 minute mark in the video.

QUOTE (LosMediasBlancas @ Nov 5, 2008 -> 10:32 AM) 'I am Sam', another Sean Penn gem is in that category. IYou just reminded me of "Dead Man Walking." The part that gets me is when Penn is in the room saying goodbye to his family, but nobody really has anything to say. The awkward silence of that scene gets me for some reason. They just sit there with no emotional connection to one another (love or hatred) for a long time.

QUOTE (bmags @ Nov 5, 2008 -> 10:50 AM) John Kerry has stayed active, and if you are to make the list, as you did with Kennedy, primary losers who stayed active, it's pretty big. I can't argue with you on that. I understand that many losers in both the Presidential and primary elections have returned back to their former positions and resumed their duties (and others - eg. Gore with global warming - haven't disappeared) . I mean it more in terms of being a national figure and continuing to fight for the things that they spoke about as candidates. They spent millions and countless hours telling people to trust them with their vote, and I think it's sad if they just go back to their former job as if they never ran at all. I can't think of anything that Kerry did in the four years since 2004. He certainly didn't end the war or capture Osama, even though he said he knew how to do both.

QUOTE (Reddy @ Nov 5, 2008 -> 09:41 AM) i honestly expect him to be a strong voice in the senate. and i think he will try and do just what he promised and bring the country together. i love the old mccain, and i think that's who's gonna be back. last night's speech showed that. We've seen very little evidence of the loser having an impact post election. I hope McCain changes that. I hope he "reaches across the aisle." That would be great. I didn't vote for him, but it doesn't mean that I don't respect him or that his voice shouldn't be heard. I think that we need more than one voice in politics, and hopefully Obama's promise to change things will actually happen. I'll believe it when I see it, though. The only loser that I can think of that stayed active in politics is Ted Kennedy. Other guys kept their seats in the Senate or House, but they didn't make much noise. I hope McCain is just as active in voicing his opinions in the next few years. I hope the guy that ran in 2000 re-emerges. I'd like to see Obama's advisors be picked based on skill, not friendship. Pick the best people from both parties. That's change.

QUOTE (Controlled Chaos @ Nov 5, 2008 -> 07:21 AM) Hell, I got choked up at the end of Armageddon. Armageddon makes me feel sad for what has become of Aerosmith. It very nearly brings me to tears.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Oct 30, 2008 -> 09:29 AM) Jason Caffey was one of my favorite players on those Bulls teams. He was fun to watch off the bench and horrible once he left. You are an excellent judge of basketball talent.

My daughter's school had a parade today, and I saw a kid dressed as the SNL land shark. I'm laughing right now thinking of the timeliness of that costume.

QUOTE (The Critic @ Oct 31, 2008 -> 04:45 PM) My buddy got a last-minute invite to a party tonight, and he has no costume. I told him to write a huge "Fe" on a t-shirt and tell people he's Iron Man. Hey, why is it that most of the trick-or-treaters come to the house after the supposed cutoff time of 6:00 PM? We've had as many people in the last 45 minutes as we had in the 2 hours before that. I don't know of a cut-off time here in Mesa, AZ, but it's 8pm, and I've only had 6 or 7 groups of kids show up. Our house is decorated too, so I'd expect a little more action. My wife's still out with our kids. She came home, dumped their candy, and went back out.

QUOTE (LosMediasBlancas @ Oct 31, 2008 -> 03:46 PM) Are all the Cub fans walking around with '2008 NL Central champs' caps? Because that would be laughable. They were marked down 50% to $14 at Midway last week when I was in town. I contemplated buying and wearing one jsut to make fun of a Cub fan I know. I don't see him often enough to make it worth $14 though. My sister bought me a Division champs hat in 2005, and I don't think I ever would have worn it w/o the Series win. This year was a way different team, though, so I wouldn't be ashamed to wear an '08 Division champs hat. That was a great accomplishment considering my expectations for the team this year.

I was in 8th grade when Top Gun came out and went to see it with my friends. When Goose died, I almost lost it. I didn't see it coming. I'm sure there's others, but that's the one that always sticks out to me.

I had a Red Sox fan, co-worker who I hardly ever talk to make it a point to tell me that he was rooting for the Rays against the White Sox. His reason - he doesn't like Hawk's "He gawn!" call. I'm not sure how often a Boston fan living in Arizona is subjected to Hawk Harrelson, so his reasoning seems like a stretch to me. Either way, I'm so glad the Rays held on to beat the Sawx. My co-worker is exactly the kind of Boston fan that's made me go from rooting for them in 2004 to hating them and all things Boston now. That said, I want the Phillies to win the WS.

I'd love it if we had a viable third party to stir things up. Really, I think that's the only way to make things right in Washington. As it is, everyone just votes along party lines and spews the same rhetoric as the others in their party. There's not really much "reaching across the aisle" - despite what McCain and Obama keep saying they've done and will do in the future. I swear, I listen to Jesse Ventura get interviewed and I think, now there's someone who's actually thinking for himself. I find it laughable that every Dem has these core values, and every Rep has these core values. What, it's not possible to have a liberal mindset and be pro-life? The great thing about the primary debates is that some of the nuts from each party get in there and start stirring things up. By the time it gets to the two candidates, all the talking points are pretty much just the party line. Too much of politics and the way people align with the parties is like being a sports fan. People say they're Democrats, and then they refuse to see any merits of the other party, and vice versa. Politics should be bigger than being a die-hard Cub or Sox fan. I, too, wasn't swayed by the debates, but they did confirm my initial pick for President. Maybe I'm just being biased, though.

Have the debates cause anyone to switch sides? Did you come into the election season thinking you'd vote for McCain or Obama and now you think you'll vote the other way?

QUOTE (kjshoe04 @ Oct 14, 2008 -> 05:40 AM) My whole plan is to be an asshole in a playful way. Just say things that are incredibly offensive. caution. This will only work about half the time. The other half the girl will absolutely hate you. It's a good screening process though. If she doesn't get that I'm joking, I don't want to be talking to her. It's amazing that this actually works. It's actually one of the techniques that Mystery teaches on "The Pickup Artist." It's called a 'neg" - short for negative. The theory is that most good looking girls are so used to getting compliments that they tend to just ignore them. When someone is less complimentary to them, it intrigues them. I've used this successfully though I'll say that I was quite drunk, and I'm not particularly proud of some of the things I said. The girl, who I just met, and who probably should have slapped me, threw herself at me. By the way, the show on VH1 "The Pickup Artist" is incredibly cheesy, but I still like watching it. If you ignore the dweebs that are on it, you could actually pick up some pretty good advice. Basically, you need to have a game plan when it comes to approaching girls. You have to be confident, you should have some interesting stuff to talk about, and you can't be afraid of rejection. It's not a bad idea to practice what you might say to someone before talking to them. It's kind of like getting ready for an interview. You have to make it sound like you're thinking of stuff and saying it even thought it's something you rehearsed. By the way, I was watching the first episode the other night, and my wife said, "I don't know why you watch this. You'd never have to use this stuff." So, I've got that going for me. Which is good.

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Oct 14, 2008 -> 06:49 PM) These Rays are going to be a force for years to come. Power, Speed, Young Arms, and solid D. Ozzie would sell his soul to manage these guys. They'll look great in pinstripes.

When in doubt, trust Mystery - The Pick-up Artist. He's coming back on VH1 this weekend.

I just ate a peanut butter and banana sandwich. Not fried. I mean, I like the King, but not enough to emulate his death on the crapper act.

QUOTE (rangercal @ Oct 1, 2008 -> 05:10 AM) yeah that pissed me off. You know cub fans watching would believe it too. Exactly. I was listening to Steve Dahl this summer, and he was talking about the Cubs/Sox game he went to the day before at the Cell. During the 7th inning stretch, everyone stood up for "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." A Cub fan sitting in front of him turned to the guy next to him and said loudly, "I wonder where they got this idea?" That's my 1000th post. Three and a half years, and that's the best I could do.

QUOTE (Texsox @ Sep 30, 2008 -> 11:41 AM) BTW, seriously, wtf does an adult do with a plaque? I have a couple dozen and they sit in a box. Back when I had the big office I had an ego wall and when I was sad I would go rub my cheek against the plaques and remember when people liked me. But now, they are dust collectors. Break the tradition and buy him something he can use. I don't disagree, but I've seen the plaques and they're pretty nice. It's law enforcement, so it will have his shields (for a couple of different agencies he worked), etc. And the guy retiring was responsible for purchasing the plaques in the past, so it's something he likes. I'm just trying to find a quote that suits him. Basically, he's the type of guy that loved his job, and the only reason he's leaving is that it's federal law enforcement, and he's hit the mandatory retirement age of 57.

My wife's boss is retiring, and one of the things they always do is buy the person a plaque. She's looking for a nice phrase/quote/saying to commemorate his years of service and how great he was as a boss. Any ideas?

Should we start Javy on short rest?

"When I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house, I had only two things on my mind: Paul Newman and a ride home. I was wishing I looked like Paul Newman—he looks tough and I don’t—but I guess my own looks aren’t so bad." -- Opening sentences from "The Outsiders" Paul Newman had so many great roles. Anyone who hasn't seen "The Hustler," "Slap Shot," "Butch Cassidy," etc. should make it a point to see them. He was a great actor. Good looking without just being pretty. Tough without being a muscle-head. And, by all accounts I've seen, a humble, great guy. He took advantage of his star power to help others without making himself the story.

I make my kids chocolate chip pancakes practically every day. I have to say, they're pretty good. I have a grilling issue. Charcoal grill - pretty much all the meat (steak, burgers, chicken) won't cook all the way through. What am I doing wrong? I've solved the issue somewhat by boiling the chicken.microwaving the steak for a little while before putting the meat on the grill, but I know that's not the proper way to grill. It drives me crazy. Help!

QUOTE (Jenksy Cat @ Sep 23, 2008 -> 09:14 PM) how many rings do those pesky piranhas have? If given the choice between 4 first round sweeps in the playoffs or 1 ring? I'll take the ring every f***in time. The twins play 82 games in that stupid stadium, which benefits from speedy guys who slap the ball around. The sox play 82 games in a park where a pop-fly has a high chance of going out. Do we need some balance? Sure, but I don't want a team full of fast .260 hitters with 5 HR's either. I'd recommend people put aside the emotion from a tough loss and actually think for a second. -Our 2 biggest needs were OBP and Bullpen. He bought a new bullpen, which for the most part worked out (sans injuries). He then brought in 2 good career OBP guys, which didn't work out so well. -We now have Quentin, Ramirez, Floyd, Danks, Swisher, and Jenks to build around. I think pretty much any team in the MLB would take those building blocks, especially considering they cost us ~$100 a day in salary. -BA has shown he can play, so he will either get traded or get a shot. That leaves us with Thome-Konerko-Dye as DH options, and Swisher as a solid 1B option. So we have decent pieces to trade -You can't "brush aside" injuries to our only 2 All-Star players, our 5th starter, our setup man, our closer, and our first baseman as "minor". The Twins won the World Series in 1987 and 1991. Oh, and I know it's being a little picky, but both teams play 81 home games.