Middle Buffalo

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Jul 14, 2008 -> 08:17 AM) http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=3485871 I know a lot of people hated his work, but I enjoyed Billy Packer. Maybe it's just nostalgia, but I also like Billy Packer as an analyst. I've heard him on the radio, and agree that he's a jerk, but I do like him calling games. I feel the same way about Tim McCarver. It's popular to dislike him, as well, but I like hearing him during the playoffs and World Series. I get that he points out the obvious, but I think that he does that because the audience for national games is a lot less hardcore, so some of the finer points of the game that most fans are familiar with need to be spelled out for casual fans. I'll miss Billy. Not as much as I miss Al McGuire, but I will miss him calling the big game. I wish they'd replace the Luther Vandross version of "One Shining Moment" with the original while they're at it. The original was much better. I highly recommend "you-tubing" "One Shining Moment." I think all of the versions from the past 20 years are available.

QUOTE (Gregory Pratt @ Jul 14, 2008 -> 11:51 AM) Pedro Martinez is having tightness in his shoulder again, and I am starting to think that he is done, too. I happen to believe that he's had a career to be proud of as well, but I only think he's the very best pitcher of all-time. The Subject of my Most Disliked Sports Illustrated Cover is Not Making It Look So Easy Anymore, Is He? -- Jeff Francoeur... Your sentance about Pedro is oddly written. I'm pretty sure you're saying that you think Pedro is the best pitcher of all time, but the way it's worded is a little awkward. I'd also disagree with the sentiment. As a Sox fan, the "Most Disliked SI cover" award should go to the Tom Brady/Peyton Manning cover that previewed a mid-season NFL game the week that the Sox won the World Series. The Sox were relegated to a little box in the corner, and all things being equal, I'm sure that wouldn't happen to the Red Sox or Cubs.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Jul 14, 2008 -> 08:11 PM) I love watching him play, but I don't think it's a feel good story when he was a hardcore druggy. That's something he brought upon himself. Sorry. What you said is true, but that doesn't make his recovery less remarkable. What he is choosing to do now is live an exemplary life and be a good example. I'm sure every day is a struggle for him. There's an odd thing when it comes to drugs and alcohol, and that's that you never really know how your body will react to them until you try them. I don't think most people set out to be addicts. Some people drink and get drunk often, but they aren't "addicted." They just like to party. Other people might drink the exact same amount, but they get hooked. They need to drink. They can't stop. Why? It's the same with drugs. Some people try pot or coke or whatever else, and they don't get hooked. Josh Hamilton did get hooked, and he almost threw his career and family and God knows what else away. He's straightened out his life, and I, for one, hope is able to stay clean and sober.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jul 12, 2008 -> 06:59 AM) I really enjoyed the piece. One thing I would have loved to hear his response to when he talked about guys being babied,pitch counts. etc. would have been he wasn't exactly a poster boy as to why you shouldn't do those things. He was essentially done when he was 30. Maybe he would have had a second half to his career if he was monitored more closely. He probably wouldn't have cared. Guys that are as competitve as him like to finish what they start and get out of their own messes. Black Jack had as great of an attitude on the field as anyone who ever played. If I recall correctly, McDowell had hip or back problems at a very early stage of his career. I don't think it would have mattered if he threw a few less pitches or innings. He was basically destined to have a short career. Here's a portion of an interview on WSI regarding his hip problem. "ML: After an impressive debut in 87 (Author’s Note: 4 games, 3-0 record, 1.98 ERA in 28 innings), you struggled the next two years. Didn’t you have some type of hip injury that really hurt you? JM: "It wasn’t really a hip injury, and it may have been my fault for not explaining it better at the time. I was born with an arthritic hip. I’ve had it all my life and learned to play with it. I adjusted my mechanics for it. After my rookie season, the Sox tinkered with those mechanics and it did certain things to my motion. That caused me to start having some problems with the hip. I tried to adjust to what they wanted and I realize the coaches were only trying to help, but it wasn’t good for me. I know they didn’t want me to hurt my arm but I also realized that I had to pitch the way I wanted. I’ve seen guys throw all kinds of different ways and that has nothing to do with who gets hurt. It happens. The best coaches are the ones who work with you on the mental aspects of the game not the physical. That’s what gets you to the majors and that’s why you win. The best coach I ever had was Rick Peterson. When the Sox let him go, it was a real shame." http://www.whitesoxinteractive.com/rwas/in...=11&id=2085 It's very similar to Kerry Wood having arm problems. I remember when he was very young, Steve Stone said he would have arm problems because of his release. It put too much strain on his arm. As for the RJ vs McDowell argument for Cy Young in '93, numbers can sometimes be deceiving. I'm not saying RJ was unworthy, but McDowell was the type of guy who wasn't afraid to give up 4 runs if he was spotted a 5 run lead. http://www.baseball-reference.com/pi/gl.cg...ar=1993&t=p Of course, I'm a Sox fan, so I'm biased.

QUOTE (Whitewashed in '05 @ Jul 11, 2008 -> 03:51 PM) That's a good idea. At minimum I would like to hear what Hawk and DJ have to say. Hawk: "Yaz said the same thing in '65." DJ:

QUOTE (Rex Hudler @ Jul 11, 2008 -> 09:14 AM) Better this week. Ate wel after the 4th weekend and worked out everyday from Sat thru Thursday. Weighed in at 291 today (5 pounds this week) for a total drop of 71 pounds to date. Only 29 more to go to the century mark! That's awesome. I keep dropping and gaining and then ending up the same each week. I really don't have terrible habits, but I tend to get sick of drinking water all day (I work outside), so I kill myself with drinks (basically any and everything).

QUOTE (SoxFan562004 @ Jul 11, 2008 -> 11:41 AM) OK, going to Ireland for a 10 day trip on July 24. I have never traveled to Europe so I have 2 main questions: 1. Any advice on things to do in Ireland? We will hit up the touristy things and I'm going with a group that will have fun, but I want to know if anyone has any unique advice on things to do there. 2. Money conversion. Yes, I know the exchange rate is going to kill me, but it is what it is. Should I get traveler's checks? Should I convert to Euro's here? Should I use my ATM there? Thanks in advance for the help. My parents are going the same time. I don't recall why, but my mom said that she used to use traveler's checks, but was told not to. I'm pretty sure she'll be using the ATM there, but I think you need a Diner's Club card.

Very cool. By far, my favorite Sox player of all time.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Jul 11, 2008 -> 09:47 AM) I think the rest was just added on by the kids in my neighborhood. I don't remember what "no false in" meant, but "no no takes" meant you had to return the ball and couldn't demand a do-over for a better throw. Kickoffs were preceded with "Warning - Kickoff!" We always settled the worst of disputes in football with a DGO - down goes over.

QUOTE (southsideirish71 @ Jul 11, 2008 -> 09:34 AM) We played fast pitch Whiffle ball. Whiffle ball required a large garbage can that was flat on one side ( like the toters that we use today ). The purpose of this was to provide a strikezone. Becoming a master of nicking the handle up and in which was unhittable was the hallmark of a Cy Whiffleball ace. The ball was the one that had holes all over, no using the one that was solid on one side and had holes on the other. The skinny yellow whiffle ball bat was the only approved version. The big fat bat was like using steroids. Right field, just like our beloved whitesox, was out unless you were left handed. The base paths were probably what 20 feet away. You could circle the bases in short order. Throwing and hitting the garbage can was considered the same as throwing to the catcher. If it hit, before you touched home you were out. http://www.wiffle.com/about_rules.htm A few of my friends from college set up a whiffle ball field on a vacant lot that one of them owned. It's downstate - Olney, Illinois. Every year, they have a tournament. I used to have a link to their home page bookmarked, but I lost it. Here's a story. http://www.14wfie.com/Global/story.asp?S=6...mp;nav=3w6obkLh Basically, Jimi's gramps owned a parcel of land with plans of opening a business on it. He never did, and grandma used to refer to it as the "White Elephant." My friends asked if they could use it for whiffle, and they went about developing the land. It's pretty cool. Left field has the field house as the homerun wall/scoreboard, and the rest of the outfield has one of those orange plastic construction fences. You pitch to a cutout (similar to the garbage can) strike zone. They have one small set of bleachers. Like the poster earlier, we would play all day, then barbecue, drink, and hit the bars all weekend. I'll try to get a link to their site next week. Pics are always better.

QUOTE (YASNY @ Jul 11, 2008 -> 08:42 AM) I think the expression was supposed to be "All-eee All-eee All in free" ... but it got corrupted to Ocean free and Oxen free where I grew up because kids just said things like that when they weren't sure what to say. From wikipedia,olly olly oxen free is a phrase used in children's games, which is generally used to indicate that people who are hiding (in a game of hide and seek, for example) can safely come out into the open. Origin The exact origin of the phrase is unknown, but etymologists suspect it is the childish corruption of the phrase "All Ye, All Ye All Come Free!" shouted by the British and American forces to the natives as they liberated France in World War II Use The phrase can also be used to coordinate hidden players in the game "kick the can", where a group of children hide within a given radius and a "seeker" is left to guard a can filled with rocks. The seeker has to try to find the "hiders" without allowing them to sneak in and kick the can. In many areas the phrase used is "Ally Ally In Come Free" which is a way to tell all hidden that is time to start the game of trying to get in to the can without being caught. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olly_olly_oxen_free It's nice to think of the British and American forces taking the time out to play kick the can during WWII.

QUOTE (kyyle23 @ Jul 11, 2008 -> 06:24 AM) "Olly Olly Oxen Free!!!!!!" Again, no sense whatsoever. Did we yell that when everyone got back safe? We also said this, but I can't remember why. "Olly olly oxen, free free free!" I guess it was a way to tell people who couldn't be found in hide n' seek that the seeker was giving up, and we'd be starting again. Also, home base was gool, but we pronounced it "glue." We also used to play ding dong ditch, and to make it harder, we would line up seven or eight people at doors and all ring at the same time. Then we'd all run the same direction, so the last person would be running past all 8 of the houses that had been DDD'd. We had a guy chase us for several blocks with a broom. The combination of fear and laughter was exhilirating. And you can bet that guy became our favorite target from then on.

I took my check and headed out and bought some hardwood flooring. Didn't cover the cost completely, but it helps. Now, I just need to learn how to do an install.

QUOTE (kyyle23 @ Jul 8, 2008 -> 05:04 PM) Sometimes it isnt lack of originality on the parents part as much as it is honoring other family members, carrying on a first name in the family, etc. Besides, i have seen some truly horrid "original" names. Im glad my parents didnt mess around and start pasting letters together or combining their own first names. My kids' class roster is full of "original" names or even more "original" spelling of common names. Every year, my wife and I look forward to getting the list and looking at the names on the list. My daughter has a friend named Alexis, but it's spelled Alexyz. X-Y-Z!???? I'm an other as well.

QUOTE (kyyle23 @ Jul 7, 2008 -> 07:29 AM) I feel bad for both of them really. They were the premier child actors in the 80's, everything they touched turned to gold. Now they couldnt get a serious acting gig if their lives depended on it. Of course their drug habits helped drive them into the gutter too, but it still is too bad. There have been plenty of major actors that have had bad drug habits and continued to work Corey Feldman is actually a good actor, too. Haim not so much.

QUOTE (FlaSoxxJim @ Jun 9, 2008 -> 07:35 PM) I pretty much agree with that. The new film was every bit as predictable as Last Crusade, and the ending was weak, but I guess since I expected so little from the new on I was pleasantly surprised it wasn't gawdawful. Finally saved up enough money to take my kids to see Indy 4. Way better than I expected. I'm not a huge fan of the series, but this was more along the lines of the first one than either 2 or 3. It didn't go out of its way to be super cute with references to the earlier pics. One of the worst sequence in movie history is the beginning oF Indy 3 when Lucas shows the origin of Indy getting the hat, the fear of snakes, etc. He did the exact same thing in the Star Wars prequels. Complete crap.

QUOTE (Brian @ Jul 4, 2008 -> 01:21 PM) They got the podcast of those segments on espnradio1000.com. He was on July 2nd. Fun listen. It's also on iTunes. Pretty good conversation, but it's funny to listen to North and McNeil call each other friends when it's clear from the tone of the interview that there's bad blood between them. McNeil blames North for blowing up the original line-up of the Score by wanting his own morning show. North denied this. I think I recall this being the story at the time the changes took place. Anyway, worth listening to for any fan of the early days of the Score.

QUOTE (DrunkBomber @ Jul 5, 2008 -> 11:44 AM) Ya, I checked that out. It would be pretty dumb not to get it online. Ill probably go check them out in person and then order it. Most stores do price matching now. Does this not apply to internet vs. store prices? I have no idea. Anyone ever tried this?

QUOTE (kyyle23 @ Jul 2, 2008 -> 08:46 AM) Normally I laugh at all of your posts. But this is quite disturbing. Well, just know that your response made me laugh.

I was hoping for photos when I clicked on this thread.

Ditto to the above statements. I've always liked the bullet-points style of writing. Good luck on your trip up the coast. It's one I'd like to make someday.

I was listening to an old Tony Kornheiser podcast, and he was talking about this clip from YouTube from the Animals - The story of Bo Diddley. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhuEV17YZes

Got serious with the workouts and an all tomato diet this week and dropped 4 lbs. Mankini here I come!

Dan McNeil was talking about moving to mornings on a recent podcast that I heard. Harry said that it couldn't be done at ESPN because Mike & Mike were signed through 2010 or so. Is it possible that McNeil will be moving to the Score? I don't know what his contract situation is, though.

QUOTE (Controlled Chaos @ Jun 24, 2008 -> 08:14 AM) Anderson's defense saves hits...and in turn saves runs. I know it's not as sexy as the towering solo homerun has become, but the net result is the same. Why is it so hard to comprehend? If he had 4 or 5 more solo dingers...many of the fans calling for his head now...would be happy and that's pretty f***in sad. Most Sox fans are much more knowledgeable than that. They don't need ESPN highlights to show their player to prove his worth. It's nice to have BP and the like, to reinforce what my eyes already tell me, but I don't necessarily need it...some of you clearly do. Brian gets incredible jumps on the ball. He starts moving with the crack of the bat, not the flight of the ball. He is the PERFECT 4th outfielder for this team and he is the perfect guy to be playing when you lose some offensive pop, because he can save that 1 run that may be your demise. Is it sexy when he gets to that ball in the gap and catches it standing up? Not really. Is it sexy when he saves a base hit because he can afford to play shallow with his jumps. Nope. Is it sexy when he holds someone to a single when it should easily be a double...nah... but so what....sexy is over rated...Most of the time it's just an unneeded visual stimulus. Do I need the lingerie model to walk in with her lingerie on or do I just need her to fricken walk in?? Nobody is content with his current hitting, but he has shown potential, and he isn't exactly in the most ideal situation to up ones stats. On top of the sporadic AB's, I think he has his most trouble when he is trying to accomplish something specific. Be it get a guy in, move a runner over, or be the hero. When his mental approach changes he suffers and it's more a matter of him trying too hard instead of staying relaxed. Most young players go through it...hell a lot of veteran players go through it. BA is progressing fine...his head is on straight and he has the tools....giving up on him now....would be brilliantly stoopid. Totally agree with this very sexy post.