UConn James

Tommie Frazier is the only one that rings a bell. It effectively ended his career, as he wasn't drafted. Then again, one could adequately make the point that if he didn't get the clot, he still wouldn't have been drafted. Nebraska's Option/Wishbone QB didn't fly in the NFL then, nor has it with Frazier's successors at the position there. If he had played a decade later when Wildcat came around.... Like many others, I wasn't a fan of his time here but I wish MW good health.

Does this qualify him for the Madden Curse?

Don't they know that a bird pooing on ones head means good luck? This happens a lot at venues... the rigging and stuff provides good spots to nest. Anybody who's not a complete diva tool shrugs it off. That'll be a deduction of 50 points on KoL's man-cards.

But in that neighbor city of Bell, Calif., mentioned in the article, there is a pay scandal afoot. The mayor makes $800K --- twice POTUS's salary, among others who get a very comfortable pay grade that the incestuous board/council got to vote themselves. CA town outraged to learn of officials' pay There needs to be a nationwide initiative for salary increases of public officials -- local, state, federal --- to be voted on by the people. Situations like this will always happen as long as the foxes are allowed to run the hen house.

Fully expect Al Sharpton to be picketing Webb's office for speaking out and threatening to end the minority gravy train.

Actually, the Penguin's phrase was "Gotta admit, I've played this stinkin' city... like a harp from hell!" How do I remember this, but I lose track while counting cups of flour in the dough recipe at 4? (Sorry to be all nitpick-y.)

Haven't really listened to Morning Edition, etc. since my commuting-to-college days, but NPR did/does tend to include loooooong stretches of the interviewees talking, so there is less of a filter. That being so, they're a step closer to objectivity than any of the Big 5 of TeeVee, and any number of e-zines and papers that like to digest everything for you and say generically what they think the interviewee said. I'd rather hear it straight from the horse's lips. This all, of course, depends on how they select their interviewees. The danger is that they can be cherry-picked... but that's true of all media, it's true of statistics, it's true of Cheerios and it's true of cherries.

NAACP hard at work again defending the indefensible. She says she didn't do as much as she could have for this farmer b/c he wasn't black, and told him to see a banker who is 'one of his own kind.' How is her choice of words FOX or CNN's doing? They defend the indefensible b/c they believe that an admission of fault for one of "their own kind" is an admission of fault for them all when they say the same racist things. Chastising / firing one of them would be the thin edge the wedge.

First photo glimpse of the Hurley epilogue. Seriously, dude. And, obviously, it's spoiler-y. Link

It's debatable whether Juliet's sister's cancer re-appeared, as Ben claimed. I come out on the side that Ben made it up to manipulate her into staying b/c he knew she was a part of the works, and had to be there. With that line "She looks just like her" it seems apparent that he remembers her (and the other time-travelers) from his childhood. Despite Richard's "He won't remember any of this" I am of the firm belief that all the while, Ben knew that these people would be going back in time, somehow, some way, but he never let on. Regardless, all the lead-up was the Dharma (literally, the Path) that the Candidates had to take. Juliet had to stay --- she was thwarted from leaving 3 times --- and that was the particular way it was accomplished. Ben's tumor appeared as part of the Path. Michael delivering that group into the Others' hands had to happen (and yet, as Ben said, within that it was Michael's choice to shoot AL and Libby). Otherwise, the Ajira landing site isn't built, Jack doesn't meet Juliet, etc. None of that would have happened. But then again, other things would have happened to bring about the circumstances, as part of the "course correction." To a certain point, the Island does grant the wishes of the current Protector. It makes wishes / beliefs come true, no matter how seemingly cockamamie they are. Ben's metaphor of the Box wasn't about an actual "box", it was more like the Island itself --- if it's within the Island's powers, the Protector / the Candidates/ "special" people can bring events, people or items to pass, just by wanting it badly enough. It was stated by Darlton that the Protector can influence the weather. (Along these lines, was it Jack's rooting for the Red Sox what made them win the World Series? In the Island world, maybe.)

Didn't get a chance to post after I read it. But, yeah, I can buy into the Island as 'Carrie' concept. Still, it would seem to be like that "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" clip that he linked to. It wouldn't really matter who made what happen.... It happened, whether it was the island acting as a VALIS facilitated it all, or something else. I also take a little umbrage with his writing that the deterministic scope of the island takes away the heroism of the main character, that Jack's sacrifice was lessened b/c it hadn't been his free-will choice. We'll see in the epilogues whether some of Doc's contentions about the Protector are true.

I didn't claim to know Ralph's plans. As I said, it is the leaving the fans in the dark on succession that denotes a major difference b/w the men. GS took care of his fans by ensuring a smooth transition, not making them worry about whether they would still have a team 6 months after the big guy kicked it. Comparing NFL to MLB is apples to oranges re: the cap. Stabilizing a franchise to exist after the death of an aged owner for sure isn't dependent on market size. RW has refused to stabilize the Bills. In fact, it's like everything has been done to ensure that the next owner will have no tie-downs to the Buffalo area. How many times have Erie, state and national pols talked about starting the process of building a new stadium and they're shot down? It's being set up so the next guy's first act will be to call the Mayflower trucks.

+1. A good owner like Steinbrenner was knows when it's time to step back, and has a firm succession plan in place. Big Stein did both, laid the groundwork for building a new stadium for this century that will keep it in its city, and by grooming a successor left no question about who would own/run the team in the future. Ralph has done neither. Despite the musings of his former top knight that the castle will hold together, it really looks like the kingdom will vanish with the king.

A lot of those teams have put more than 10 cents of their own money into their stadiums, etc. in recent years. As much as he may spend on player salaries, in an NFL neighborhood full of McMansions and other people in the process of building, Ralph is content with a double-wide up on blocks. There are no public plans for the future of the team (beyond the instability of "selling to the highest bidder," no stadium that would effectively tie the team to the area and attract good players. Player salary comparison is a little skewed when paying a ton of Benjamins to the likes of Chris Kelsay, et al. Bear in mind, also that the team doesn't have a QB who's making $12M per year, nor seem to be interested in getting one who in time would command that much... maybe on someone's orders. Good owners create a legacy and see their franchise into the future. Beyond their own lives.

There are all kinds of opinions about the man and what he did for sports --- which could be good and bad depending on your perspective. The out-of-control spending made baseball not very fun for 2/3 of the MLB teams for the past 30 years. His style put small markets at a disadvantage. One thing that can be said about him is that he transitioned for this event in the best possible way. He got older, realized his decisions weren't helping the team and he stepped back. He laid the groundwork to build a new stadium that will house the team this century. He left no questions of the team ownership lingering. He took care of the fans, and he ran that organization with the sole mindset to be the best. Granted, this took $ and in turn the fans covered his costs, but they covered his costs with the $72 tickets they bought willingly, and never with an implied threat to move the team if ticket sales didn't pick up --- all for the privilege to watch garbage teams get beaten badly. Steinbrenner was never hesitant to do something b/c he didn't think he could get someone else to pay for it, b/c winning will pay for it. Now, contrast that last paragraph with self-defeatist nickel-squeezer Ralph Wilson.

Even tho I wear a Red Sox hat, I'll still say RIP, and condolences to the Steinbrenner family. Can't fault the man for doing everything he could to produce championships for his business.

Link Here comes the agency by which the govt "spreads the wealth around a bit" (to quote the Current Occupant).

How 'bout Wesley Sneijder?

I'd like to give some props to ESPN3.com for carrying, literally, all the games live. They've done this for many events, including French Open, Wimbeldon, etc. since I got this new computer that can handle video. (You also have to be on an ISP that allows access.) And ESPN3 is run w/o ads... tho I'm sure this will be changing in the future. Seems like for right now they're gauging video performance, interest and user stats. But as far as the future of broadcasting, anything that can offer an alternative to cable or sat and get us closer to a-la-carte channels is awesome. Yeah. Like Brasil doesn't have enough of an advantage on everybody....

Wouldn't be surprised if it were connected with the 'New START' treaty discussions.

Link. Like an ice cream cone on a hot summer day. Which, in the East, it is.

The Academy is with Coco! Four Emmy nominations, including Best Variety Show, which is the top prize for its genre. How much of a "SUCK ON THIS!!!" to NBC and Leno was that??!! I nearly spewed my tea when I watched that this morning.

Wow. LOST gets 13 Emmy nominations. - LOST, Outstanding Drama - Matthew Fox, Outstanding Lead Actor, Drama - Michael Emerson, Outstanding Supporting Actor, Drama - Terry O'Quinn, Outstanding Supporting Actor, Drama - Elizabeth Mitchell in LOST episode "The End," Outstanding Guest Actress, Drama - LOST episode "The End," Outstanding Directing For a Drama Series - LOST episode "The End," Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series - LOST episode "Ab Aeterno," Outstanding Art Direction For a Single-Camera Series - LOST episode "The End," Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing For a Drama Series - LOST episode "The End," Outstanding Music Composition For a Series (Original Dramatic Score) - LOST episode "The End," Outstanding Sound Editing For a Series - LOST episode "The End," Outstanding Sound Mixing For a Comedy Or Drama Series (One Hour) - "Mysteries of the Universe: The DHARMA Initiative" on abc.com/lost [This was a short feature on the DI], Outstanding Special Class Program ----- My notes: Foxy finally got a nod for leading actor! Pulling for him, but I don't think he wins given the competition. Count this as a tribute from viewer-voters to how much he devoted to the show for 6 seasons. As Christian Shepherd said in the church alcove, "Nobody does it alone. You needed them... and they needed you." The friendly battle b/w O'Quinn & Emerson in the supporting actor category continues. Emerson won this last year, and was nominated in 2007 & 2008. O'Quinn won in 2007, and was nominated in 2005. The depth / ensemble this show had really propelled it to greatness. To all the haters out there, it sure looks like Hollywoodland loved "The End." (Best Writing, even with "Kiss me, James!" "You got it, Blondie"??? Well... OK!) Props to Michael Giacchino!!! Without his orchestral scores, LOST just would not have been LOST. Dude is the next John Williams. A little surprised that Allison Janney didn't get a guest actress nod for "Across the Sea." And that EM did get one for "The End" (She had, what? Five minutes of screen time?) Some nice recognitions for a superb final season on one of the best shows, ever. Even if they never touch an Emmy personally, my thanks as a viewer goes out to everyone who was involved in making LOST exactly what it was. (And, 12 minutes of what it has yet to be.)

If liberals ever "support" the 2nd/at best stop attacking it, the sneaky caveat will be that they don't support ready access to ammunition. After all, the 2nd guarantees the arms, but it says nothing about the projectiles. Have you seen the f---ing prices of ammo lately? I've read that the U.S. Gov't recently stopped selling scrap brass for a profit to ammo companies, and are shipping it overseas in a transaction that, with transport costs, likely loses money. Don't think for a minute that the process isn't already in the works with this administration.

Thanks. I looked last week. Tho, looking for anything on the EW page is weird. Sometimes, an article will be in the "MOST VIEWED ON EW" column on the right, and will not be listed when you click the "LOST" heading.... Right now, the part 1 to this latest string of the 'Island as Carrie' is not there. Doc Jensen | Part 2: What the Island 'Saw' ----- Also, this won't be the last bit from Doc about LOST. There's at least Emmys coverage, then there's sure to be a column or two on the DVD release's Hurley epilogues. But even after that... I get the feeling that there will be discussion about the show for a long time. Great works with great characters and intriguing plots have a way of staying in the collective conscience. I would actually welcome (and read) an English major's master's/doctoral thesis on this show. But that would be quite a challenge for anyone brave enough to try it. Two-hour movies have provided for hundreds of pages of discussion; LOST was over 120 hours?