UConn James

Per the Albany T-U stub article on the front page, the new turf is going in. Not sure how much I trust that. With its ~3 column inches (unattributed), this is exactly the kind of hack job that would include demolition under the description of "the new turf is going in." mrags, it's been said all along that the old turf will be donated by Erie County. The stub said that Chris Collins will be revealing the recipient later today. Given the to-do, I highly doubt it will be the Bills.... Perhaps they'll be keeping some unnecessary scrap pieces, so your source might not be entirely wrong. That said, I wish they would just get rid of it all, so as not to infect the new stuff with 'Decade of Fail.'

I haven't gone off on some tangential Social Security argument. I've highlighted the copyright legality of it. You can all piss and moan that the NFL retails these for $300. OK. But where you lose me is when you think you're entitled to break copyright law a few times a year just b/c you may spend money on the Bills in other forms. That's like saying it's OK to help someone rob two houses a year as long as you don't torture, rape, or murder anyone. This is black and white. You're either following the law or you're not. You either buy through someone from China who you know ***** all over copyright and trademark laws... or you buy one here through NFL licensed dealers... or don't buy one. There's no weasel room to say "I give enough $ to the NFL/Bills already, so what I'm doing is perfectly legal." B/c the NFL and the Bills hold trademarks on their designs. They contract with companies to make their wares, and then contract with other companies to sell those wares. Trademarks are a special kind of patent, identifying a brand... like Ziploc bags own the trademark for the name Ziploc. No one else can use that name or, say, exactly copy Ziploc's 'Red and Blue when it's open. Purple when it's sealed' design. These Chinese firms are appropriating these registered trademarks and mass producing counterfeit jerseys. It's not OK for you because you do not hold a trademark on the designs/logos. As a customer of these companies, you're in the same boat as people who illegally download music, movies, etc. You may not think much of it, but as I wrote, make no mistake --- you are breaking the law. Exactly none of that changes the fact that breaking trademark and copyright law is illegal.

That's because after they're still reeling from the effects of Obamacare, they're scared shitless about what the Current Occupant will create a national mandate for next.

USA, bitches!

Discussing why it happens is one thing. There's more than that happening here, including --- in two threads --- which sellers to use, a link to the website, what their rating is, pricing, payment methods, etc. If that's not a facilitation, I don't know what is. You'd be absolutely wrong with your assumption that the damage isn't very much. Those links are busts of just two purveyors, who possessed product whose authentic equivalent is over half a million $. The argument that it's high-priced and people just wouldn't buy them at all otherwise is specious. The same can be said of movies and pirated DVDs. So what? They should just allow people to undersell them with imitations? If it's too much, then don't buy it. If enough don't buy it, prices come down. The NFL controls its product jealously where it can, as any company would. That announcement that you hear during games --- 'This broadcast and descriptions of this game are official property of the NFL and may not be reproduced or rebroadcast without express permission of the NFL.' That's not there for show. If you don't stay in the NFL's good graces for a myriad of issues, they can bring the hurt. IIRC, there was recently a newspaper in DC that was barred from covering the Redskins. Do they do this often? No. But it's possible. Hosting threads on where to purchase knock-offs, which sellers to shop, etc. probably isn't looked upon kindly.

These companies are committing copyright infringement. And by leaving these types of threads up, TBD is facilitating copyright infringement. If TBD wants to continue a friendly working relationship with the Bills and the NFL, it would probably be in the interest of SDS/mods to close these threads. Look, you guys who do this know where to get this stuff. If that's what you're bound to do, then we can't really stop you from doing that. The NFL and their lawyers have to take that up through the Chinese government to crack down and enforce international copyrights (doubtless they've tried; they're probably losing tens of millions a year). But make no mistake that you're buying wares from someone who's breaking the law. They're not even leaving the NFL/team logos off so as to make a claim that it's a generic jersey --- they're making money off of the NFL's trademarks.

Michelle Bachmann signed a pledge vowing do what she can to stamp out "all forms of pornography." Not to mention that the same pledge waxes nostalgically of black family values during slavery. :o The rest is somewhat smaller potatoes... against gay marriage and gays in the military, states that being gay is a choice, rejects Sharia Islam, supports fecundity among evangelicals (actually using the words "robust childbearing" [cringe]). Allright. Middle America would've been OK with nonsupport of gay marriage. But taking away our God-given right to access (consenting-adult) porn??!!?? [James raises his May 2006 issue of Playboy featuring Alison Waite] "FROM MY COLD, DEAD HANDS!!!" Can people just stop discussing this nation's period of slavery as being any kind of benefit to the slaves? Please? To say nothing that broaching the entire topic of slavery is touching a third rail... the specific argument made in this pact kind of breaks down given that slave families were quite often forcibly separated by owners. And with such, Michelle Bachmann just sounded her campaign's death knell. Probably not in Iowa, but.... None of the other candidates will sign (Pawlenty's said they are "reviewing" the pledge).

As I wrote, why is there a ~6-foot gap with a 20-foot drop to concrete right there along the outfield wall? Why is there just a waist-high rail? In a spot where fans gather not infrequently to shag a home run, with much bumping, twisting, near-mosh-pitting? There's certainly every chance for someone to get non-maliciously pushed in a fracas and lose their balance with the same result. I understand that at a certain point, fans are responsible for their own behavior, and take risks at their own peril. Architects can make plans for rails that go shoulder-high but if fans climb on them, what's the use? And at that point, then I'd agree that those fans were wholly responsible for their injury. But this wasn't that. Places need to be designed with forethought of what's going to happen there. A waist-high rail simply isn't enough, and the gap there should've had something (a net, even, wouldn't prevented this) at the top.

So, they're refusing to eat, and the next thing that enters your mind is the subject of innocence? Does your inner monologue go a little like: "Since they're refusing to eat, they might be innocent. Wait, no! Since they're refusing to eat, they must be innocent!" ??? Try emoting less.

Isn't it nice when one can be charged from the spirit of what a crime could have been... but wasn't?

Plus the fact that as we speak, the turf at RWS is being ripped up. I'm not sure if they'd be able to host everybody in the Fieldhouse Blue Cross-Blue Shield Fieldhouse and the smallish outdoor facility. There'd be no real way to facilitate fan attendance for this situation, either. But with such little time for preparation it may not be a bad idea to have them closed to the public. Without minicamps, they still haven't installed the offense, there's been no playbook to study from, rookies will be even further behind than they usually are, etc. Everybody's gotta save time where they can. As above, the turf is currently being ripped up in RWS.

As the negotiations stand with a deal that seems to be coming together, this ruling may have more meaning to the NBA lockout than it does for the NFL.

I could understand for the old AstroTurf with what happened on it.... But what's the best / most special thing that happened on this stuff? It's probably more marketable for souvenirs labeled as the turf that was under a Tim McGraw concert. Personally, I want to forget the last ten years ever happened.

Exactly. I repeat my point from upthread: He and his defense were not prevented from contacting the consulate. They just didn't do it. Ignorance of what your rights are isn't an excuse to get a do-over after you've elected to not exercise those rights.

Rangers fan who died in fall was a firefighter Oh dear.... And yeah, Josh Hamilton's gotta be feeling very ****ty. But like so many of these things, his was only one of the last acts in a series of steps that led to this accident. Every fan assumes risk and must be responsible for their own safety --- it's right there on the back of the ticket --- and it's not legally the fault of the team or stadium designers.... But why do they keep an open area right there or at least have more than a waist-high fence?

Per a picture and post on the Bills' Facebook page, the removal of the old turf has started. Link

So, they don't want to be treated like illegal immigrants by the police... until it might help them escape American justice. The police don't have to tell you which avenues you have to pursue help in fighting charges. They are not your !@#$ing lawyers!! Rot in hell, Humberto! Let this be a warning to the scum of Mexico who treat the U.S. as their back alley to rob, rape and murder. No mercy (except from the Democrats who'll kiss your ass for your votes).

Well, that might only work if TBD had a physical presence in Michigan.

I don't know about teevee, but it looks like they're streaming every game on ESPN3.com, if you have an ISP that has an agreement.

I'm not talking about that kind of thing. But fabrics will change from what is no doubt proprietary stretch material from Reebok, stitching/seams will likely change to the Nike cuts (again, I'm not saying this will have an impact on design), to say nothing that the brand logo will be changing. If you're going to pay for an authentic, it's nice to have it actually be completely authentic for more than a year. [shrug]

If you're going to spend $300 on a piece of cloth with numbers on it... you might wait until Nike takes over for the entire NFL next year. Specs are bound to change from Reebok's, and then you'll have paid a lot of coin for something that'll be outdated inside of a year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7IhwaEdiV4&feature=player_embedded It's not Wimbledon, but this story was pretty funny. Cornet is the #3-ranked French player. And I gotta say...

The only ones I remember being "sleeveless" by way of Hojo's alterations are Schoebel and Kelsay. There was a photo of one of Kelsey's game jerseys where the underarm gusset is entirely removed. I dunno. Maybe the guy needs constant access to his 'pits for some reason.... Some players use the elasticized sleeve hem so there's less fuss they have to correct after a play; it's bunched up, but there is a sleeve. Other than that, I don't recall any players who actually didn't have sleeves. Regardless, we'll see how the ambiguous shoulder-arm stripes will look once players have them altered. The one thing I keep coming back to is, why would I go buying one (especially an authentic) when the whole league is switching to Nike next year and doubtless there will be changes?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGwDYBWEDSc It takes a lot for me to cry w/o physical pain (and at that, it takes a lot of physical pain for me to cry), but this version gets me. I put this song's main phrase "We'll walk in fields of gold" on a headstone for my dog a few years ago. For 12 years he went with me almost everywhere, including walking all the fields of gold at my grandparents'/uncle's farm in WNY when we went up for my grandfather's funeral, then about a week later, after he fell ill, the vet showed us X-rays of a large mass in his abdomen. So that walk is my last best memory of him. And this song always gets me.

As if it weren't readily apparent previously, this confirms it: you are a COMPLETE douchebag. Not like it's going to matter, b/c by the time NY primaries, it's probably going to be all over anyway. Once things really get going, no matter what she's polling at in Iowa right now, Bachmann doesn't have a chance. And your Westboro-Baptist-type reasoning is why. When independents hear some of her policy points, she may be one of the few Republicans Obama could beat... provided unemployment gets under 8%. If the economic numbers don't improve for the Jimmy Carter clone (and it doesn't look like they will. There's a number of top economists who're expecting another slowdown this summer-fall), Obama has NO chance against ANYONE.