DBAHO

Gees, ppl are already nominatin 8 months early.

News: Add another team to the competition for Urbina's services. Cleveland will meet with Urbina this week in hopes of finding a replacement for Bob Wickman. The Indians had hoped Wickman would handle the closer job after returning from elbow surgery. Wickman will miss at least the first half of the season, though, after spraining his elbow last week.

Close. I had Michigan St., Florida, N.C State and Stanford in my elite 16. U had Wake Forest and Wisconsin. But yeah ours are very similar, except ur final 4 is still alive, 3 out of 4 of mine is.

9/11 was prob the moment I most remember. Coming back from celebratin my b-day with a few m8es, I remember goin to bed and turnin on the TV, and all the local channels were on CNN, BBC etc., I just had a horrible feelin in my stomach. My mom wouldn't get on a plane for quite a while afta that.

Another Buc signin elsewhere, The Broncos reached a three-year, $9 million agreement with former Bucs safety John Lynch. Included in the deal is a $2.5 million signing bonus. Lynch, 32, took the weekend to think about his opportunities and was considering a trip to talk to the Oakland Raiders, who signed former teammate Warren Sapp on Saturday. But Lynch decided to go to the Broncos over the Jets when Denver's offer went to $3 million a season. It was a tough choice to not go to the Jets. Lynch is the godfather of coach Herman Edwards' only child and he is very tight with the Jets coach. The Broncos had a busy Monday. Along with signing Lynch, the Broncos signed former Chargers defensive end Raylee Johnson to a three-year, $3.3 million deal that included a $1 million signing bonus, and former Lions defensive tackle Luther Elliss. The timing of Lynch's agreement was interesting. He accepted his deal with the Broncos close to the time of a Raiders press conference involving Sapp. The hard-hitting Lynch, recognized as a team leader, played 11 seasons with the Bucs. He played last season with bone spurs in his neck, but he received clearance to play from doctors two weeks ago.

I still only hav Georgia Tech in my St. Louis bracket, but I had em losin to Kentucky. 3 of 4 teams in my East Rutherford Bracket, St. Joseph's, Pittsburgh and Oklahoma St., with St. Joseph's comin out on top. 3 of 4 in Atlanta, with Duke, Texas and Illinios, with Dukey coming out on top. And in Phoenix 2 of 4 teams, with Syracuse and Conneticut playin each otha in the regional final, with the Huskies comin out on top. So I hav 9 out of 16 teams still in it, 3 out of my final 4 still alive.

At least she's not a Kiwi.

Stuck in a Time Warp up there Southsider? Damn, I've been waitin to say that.

I'm suprised BEGOOD may hav lasted longer than PA did.

I thought Keira Knightley was goin to play that for the upcomin movie, or was that Bewitched? Now I'm confused?

I hate Vegemite, cannot stand it. National Icon my ass.

Yeah u betta actually try now Steve.

BOTTOMS Up, Hong Kong's most storied strip club which featured in a James Bond film and was the subject of an indecency crackdown, is to close, a bar insider said today. The seedy bar in the Kowloon tourist district will pull down its shutters for the last time in April, the member of staff said. Bottoms Up opened in May 1971 and quickly established itself at the heart of the city's racy nightlife. In its heyday its clientele included visiting stars like Peter Sellers, George Peppard and Gregory Peck. The bar became an institution after it was featured in the 1974 James Bond flick, "The Man With the Golden Gun". Bond star Roger Moore returned to the bar on subsequent visits to the former British territory. In 1994 it lost a court battle to prevent the government removing its saucy naked-buttocks neon sign as part of an obscenity crackdown. The ruling also forced the naked dancers to cover up with bras or negligees. The staff member wouldn't say why the bar was closing but reports in local media say rising rents had made it impossible to keep going.

A LOCAL council has banned swimmers from doing backstroke in its pool, saying it fears they could injure themselves if they collide. Bathers at the Daisyfield pool in Blackburn, northwest England, have been told they can only do forward strokes during busy periods when the pool is divided into lanes, officials said today. ``This is not about threats of legal action,'' said Kate Hollern, an executive on Blackburn and Darwen Council responsible for culture, leisure and sport. ``We are limiting the times when people can swim backstroke to prevent dangerous collisions.P ``We would expect that people would be concerned for their own safety as well as that of others and we are being proactive in introducing these rules.'' Hollern said the new rules complied with guidelines issued by the national Institute of Sport and Recreation Management, and were ``designed be inclusive to ensure that all people can use our facilities in a safe way''.

You bring up an interestin question there upnorthsox. I think if Wright wasn't around, Cotts would probably get the 5th starters job. But, let's say in the first month, Wright has arm problems and is put on the disabled list like last year. Who do you call up to replace him in the rotation? Rauch, Cotts or even sum1 like Josh Stewart, if he starts well in Charlotte? I just think there's goin to be sumthin in the works trade wise, with one of those 3 or other minor league pitchers. I know Bull has said there are a lot of minor league pitchers in Charlotte and Birmingham right now, but at least that brings a lot of competition. I think if Harris continues to struggle, something will go down at second base, maybe a trade for someone like Brian Roberts from Baltimore, but they would need Jerry Hairston Jr. to come back healthy.

Anythin else u can recommend besides that? Anythin Heavy Metal or that type of music will certainly do.

Yeah, I picked up Ruutu especially for the Phoenix game. Should hav picked up Arnason too.

I know Cali got me hooked on sum Avenged Sevenfold a few months back.

It's Playoff Time. 11.5 games on top, damn that's gotta be a record. Anyways, Danman's up against Bones I think, and Steve's playin PA. 1 DBAH0s Magic 118-70-1 .627 - 2 THE BULL V.2004 105-80-4 .566 11.5 3 Teamo Supremo 101-87-1 .537 17 4 Manute Bol Ballers 97-87-5 .526 19 5 Flairs2 94-93-2 .503 23.5 6 Fire Sale 92-93-4 .497 24.5 7 quagmire 91-94-4 .492 25.5 8 BEGOODS NYC RolThun 91-96-2 .487 26.5 9 Bridgeport Hoosiers 89-95-5 .484 27 10 CurryChandler04 89-98-2 .476 28.5 11 Da 56789s 79-109-1 .421 39 12 BMR BALLERS 71-115-3 .384 46

If only I'd played DiPietro instead of Nabokov, I'd be up against Southsider in the final. COLD STEEL beat me 5-4. So I'm up against Tony for 3rd.

He's one of a kind.

Did they end up payin Ted Washington more than Warren Sapp?

Got this lil tidbit bout Cotts, Left-hander Neal Cotts, who still has an outside shot at the No. 5 spot in the rotation, has been scheduled to throw to some Triple-A batters in Tucson on Wednesday and then start against the Kansas City Royals on March 29. Right-hander Jon Garland is slated to throw to some Triple-A batters earlier on March 29. Guillen said Cotts will go to Triple A if he's not in the rotation. "He's in the mix. I love that kid," Guillen said. "He has potential to be a great pitcher. If you put him in the bullpen and don't use him, it might hurt him. In that case, he should start in the minor leagues. We're going to do what's best for the kid and best for the team."

Interestin article, CHICAGO—Picking the Athletics to beat the Cubs in the 2004 World Series doesn't require a great leap of faith. Both have formidable pitching staffs and are coming off playoff appearances a year ago. The columnist's union makes us tout ourselves on the rare occasions when we get something right, so I'm here to remind you that I made that very prediction in this space--in 2001. In what has become an annual part of our Major League Preview issue, I looked ahead three years into the future. Besides that matchup, I also forecast division titles for the Braves, Dodgers, White Sox and Yankees, as well as wild cards for the Astros and Red Sox. I'm also on record with the Astros beating the Mariners in the 2005 Series and the Cubs vanquishing the Twins in 2006. Now it's time to look ahead to 2007. The Yankees and Red Sox still boast the two largest payrolls in the game. But what the Blue Jays lack in financial resources they make up for in young talent, winning the American League East with a lineup and rotation that's purely homegrown with the exception of Eric Hinske. Double-play partners Russ Adams and Aaron Hill set the table for a lineup powered by outfielders Alexis Rios and Vernon Wells and DH Carlos Delgado. The rotation is equally strong, headlined by Roy Halladay, Dustin McGowan and Francisco Rosario. The Indians return to the postseason for the first time in six years, edging the Twins in the AL Central. Like Toronto, Cleveland is self-sufficient, as only Travis Hafner among its key players has appeared in the majors with another club. Outfielder Grady Sizemore, catcher Victor Martinez and first baseman Michael Aubrey lead a revitalized offense, while C.C. Sabathia and Cliff Lee give the Tribe a pair of tough lefties to front the rotation. Out West, the Angels rise to the top thanks to a combination of farm-system products (most notably, first baseman Casey Kotchman, catcher Jeff Mathis, righthander Ervin Santana and third baseman Dallas McPherson) and free agents (Alfonso Soriano, Vicente Padilla). Both the Athletics (Tim Hudson, Rich Harden, Joe Blanton) and Mariners (Felix Hernandez, Joel Pineiro, Clint Nageotte) have fearsome big threes, but not enough offense to overtake Anaheim. The Yankees continue to spend heavily, pushing well past the $200 million payroll barrier with free agents Carlos Beltran, Mark Mulder and Jose Vidro. But their thin farm system provides little in the way of big league help or trade fodder, and proves to be their undoing. The Red Sox grab the wild card with a mix of veterans (Pedro Martinez, Manny Ramirez), young talent (Hanley Ramirez, Kelly Shoppach) and free agents (Aubrey Huff, Johan Santana). New Look Works For Brewers Four teams enter the final two weeks with a chance to win the National League East, with the Phillies emerging victorious. Their lineup is similar to what they'll put on the field in 2004, while Cole Hamels and Gavin Floyd have joined Brett Myers to form one of the game's best trios of starters. By contrast, the Brewers barely resemble their 2004 edition--and that's great news. They take the NL Central behind young stars such as second baseman Rickie Weeks, first baseman Prince Fielder, shortstop J.J. Hardy and right fielder Brad Nelson. The rotation is solid from top to bottom with Wade Townsend (their 2004 first-round pick), Ben Sheets, Manny Parra, Mike Jones and Jorge de la Rosa. The NL West champion Dodgers are another club with a radically different look from the present. They've overhauled a moribund offense with free agents Nomar Garciaparra and Magglio Ordonez, plus prospects like first baseman James Loney, outfielders Franklin Gutierrez and Xavier Paul and second baseman Andy LaRoche. The pitching staff remains a strength, thanks to youngsters Edwin Jackson, Greg Miller and Joel Hanrahan and the addition of Barry Zito. A rotation of Mark Prior, Kerry Wood, Angel Guzman, Carlos Zambrano, Justin Jones and a bullpen led by closer Andy Sisco carries the Cubs to the wild card. After bidding adieu to Sammy Sosa, Chicago has rebuilt its offense around an outfield of Corey Patterson, Ryan Harvey and Felix Pie. Dodgers Leave Jays Blue The Blue Jays take out the Indians in five games in one AL Division Series, leaving their pitchers better rested than those of the Red Sox, who need seven to eliminate the Angels. That difference allows Toronto to win the AL Championship Series in six games. The NL Championship Series features the Brewers and Dodgers on equal footing, as both required six games to advance past the first round. Los Angeles' pitching superiority is too much for Milwaukee, which succumbs in five games. The World Series goes the distance, with Halladay and Jackson facing off in Game Seven. Loney's two-run homer in the fourth inning opens the scoring before Rios cuts the lead in half with a solo shot in the sixth. The Blue Jays put runners on the corners with one out in the ninth, but Eric Gagne whiffs Wells and Delgado to give the Dodgers their first championship since 1988.

How much do we hav to donate Cheat?