FlaSoxxJim

Not really. Why would another club put all their own off-season plans on hold while they wait for the Kenny to get all his ducks in a row? It's the GM's job to be able to pull the trigger on multiple deals in random succession - to basically have the 'Plan A, B, C...' we all heard so much about ready to roll when the opportunity arises.

New country = sucks balls

And that's a huge difference. And, above and beyond exploitation, this was a campaign to lie and impersonate military and their family. Aren't there laws against that? It seems like this was just so much overkill. The same people could have done the same call campaign without lying about being military/family. They could talk about friends in the service, or more distant relatives, or don't even personalize it other than to say 'this song is meaningful to me and I think we should support the troops...' All that aside, the DJ that called it a ''manipulative, smarmy, trivial song'' was exactly right. That's par for the course with that there 'hot young country' music scene though, ain't it. The album doesn't have legs unless there's an exploitative chickenhawk s***kicker anthem in there somewhere. :fyou

He was hiding shrinkage?

Nope. I don't miss shoveling that stuff.

Lowe rejected the Red Sox' arbitration offer and will become a free agent after today if - as it seems - he doesn't take a deal from them.

How would a barnstorming season even work for them schedule-wise. Away games would be played as scheduled, but where would the intended home games be played? It's a lot harder than just making everything an away game, as far as the logistics of having all the stadiums staffed and ready to go, having enough police on duuty, not having conflicting events planned, etc. It would be murder on the team as well. As cool as I thought it was to have a bunch of the Expos home games played at Hiram Bithorn the last two years, I know it wore the players out.

The details of my life are quite inconsequential.... Very well, where do i begin? My father was a relentlessly self-improving boulangerie owner from Belgium with low grade narcolepsy and a penchant for buggery. My mother was a fifteen year old French prostitute named Chloe with webbed feet. My father would womanize, he would drink. He would make outrageous claims like he invented the question mark. Sometimes he would accuse chestnuts of being lazy. The sort of general malaise that only the genius possess and the insane lament. My childhood was typical. Summers in Rangoon, luge lessons. In the spring we'd make meat helmets. When I was insolent I was placed in a burlap bag and beaten with reeds - pretty standard really. At the age of twelve I received my first scribe. At the age of fourteen a Zoroastrian named Vilma ritualistically shaved my testicles. There really is nothing like a shorn scrotum... it's breathtaking- I highly suggest you try it.

...Called the "I'm never getting any sleep ever again!" thread... And of course you never will. My youngest is 5, and I was up with him on the hour Saturday night because he caught a flu bug and was puking all night. Good times...

Why? Is the orgaqnization getting a good deal on tickets this year?

Wow, Most Excellent! Congratulations to you both!

It's (like that, Soxy?) odd to me that the federal case being brought against her is 'kidnapping resulting in murder,' rather than first degree pre-meditated murder and a kidnapping charge thrown on top of that. I guess it comes down to the motive being to get the baby, and the death of the mother being just an 'unfortunate side effect.' But it sure seems like the charge belittles the life and death of the mother and the absolute savagery that was committed.

Polanco accepted arbitration. We are the New-Look White Sox, 'built around speed, defense and pitching...' Well, at least speed and defense... Well, at least speed... I try to see the positives in it all. Think of all the money the organization is going to save on home run fireworks!

Happy Happy, Ugly!

Here's the Bridge and one more verse: Well the snowplow came by today Piled six feet in front of my door, So I'll shovel my my life away And the weatherman says 'Here's some more!' And it's easy to think snow's funny When you're down where it's hot and sunnny So since I'm not there no mo'.... Let it snow..... Let it snow..... LET IT SNOW!

Jeckle's response gets high marks re the theophany interpretation.An extra belt of alter wine for you this week, son.

If I was back in high school trying to bulls*** the Jesuits, I think this would be the heart of my response... You can inerpret the Blue Fairy as being merely one facet of a multi-faceted God, re the theophany (visible manifestation of the Divine Agent) or "Malach Yahweh"-type appearances of God in a messenger/Angel incarnation, then she was not 'playing' God, she herself was an arm of God. This interpretation is not without merit, as the Blue Fairy came and transformed Pionnochio only after Gepetto had invoked the Chistian God through prayer. Wishing on the wishing star was a bit less overtly prayerful, but in the Disney version the wishing star actually is the Blue Fairy (or is the station in the heavens from whence she appears). So it appears the prayer had already been answered as the manifestation of the Divine Agent as the wishing star/BBlue Fairy. [/Old Testament mindf***] So, it's all good.

Oh Yeah, All Right, Take it easy Baby Make it last all night She was an American Girl

Well, they said they were trying to get away fom beinng so offense-centered, didn't they? Still, this would seem like a case of 'Mission Over-Accomplished"

That's it in a nutshell. "The best laid plans of mice and Ken..., er, Men..."

Why the hell do I always know that stories like these are invariably from Florida?!?

I've never been floored by Ommegang's stuff, but it's always been passable. I figure it passes as another reason Cooperstown is on my to see list. I really think Unibroue out of Quebec is the best North American Belgian-style brewery. Everything they have ever put out has been exceptional, with the exception of Raftsman Ale which is merely very good (but major props for trying to pull off a smoked white beer). Maybe the only complaint I have with them is they don't have ANY low alc. offerings. Everything they do is in the 8-9% (mostly 9%) range, so they're not exactly session beers (*hic!*) I thoroughly miss Celis out of Austin (cry with me, Tex). Not only did they take Hoegarden and improve on it, they had a really nice dobbel and a great grand cru. In the states, Allagash is the brewery coming close to that caliber right now. Hard to go wrong with anything from New Belgium either, and I think Fat Tire has been a real eye opening beer for a lot of people transitioning into craft beer enthusiasts.

I'm in Melbourne, on the east coast about 90 minutes straight across from The Mouse.\ I've fantasized about openinng a brewpub or a beer-themed resturaunt for a long time, but alas I sit on my duff. There are maby three top notch brewpubs in the state and several lesser ones, a couple of very successful upscale wine-themed resturaunts (my office mate's Brother owns a good one in Orlando), and a couple of other oases in a sea of mediocrity. I don't think it's a bad idea to do something in Florida - the upside is you have a lot less competition in those niches. You also have to keep in mind that you don't need to float everybody's boat - just enough to fill your tables and barstools. The places that have closed down have done so either because of poor business management or in the case of a few marginal brewpubs because their beers were subpar or their systems were chronically infected. When you're down, if you haven't done it already I strongly recommend a road trip up to the Tampa Bay Brewing Company in yBor City. Hands-down the best brewpubb in the state right now - very daring in their offerings and proof that you don't have to appeal to the least common denominator to be successful. (If you put your trip off until May, you can catch the Sox at Tropicana )