The Senator

That's a pretty good 'rule of thumb', generally speaking, but we'll just have to wait and see - it's certainly starting to look like I'm right about Trent Edwards.

My point was simply that GMs are not infallible in their evaluation of talent, and the fact that that point escapes you does not mean it escapes everyone else - it just means that you need to work a little harder at understanding simple concepts.

I'm sorry, but I could have sworn you said the Trent "has won a lot more games than JP" , but let me check again... Yep, I was right - that's exactly what you said. Now let me check something else... Um....er.... 13 - 10 = 3 Yep, three. I was pretty sure that THREE was the difference betwen Trent's # of wins and JP's # of wins, but just wanted to double-check my math. Now, if you want to introduce win-loss percentages into this discussion after-the-fact, well that's fine - just let's wait to see what Trent's W-L percentage is at the end of this season, if he makes it that far.

Yes, but the consolation is that 'Trenters' is having a better year than Mark Sanchez, Kevin Kolb, Jay Cutler, and Brett Favre, among others. And the beauty of that web site is that it's so damned credible - everything on there is such an incontrovertible, rock-solid statement of fact! Yep...if it's on that site, you can 'take it to the bank'!!! So, if you want to talk about "having a good cry", just think how hard those teams and their fans are crying because they don't have Trent Edwards - who's having a better season than even Tom Brady!!!! Hey Trent - start packing the sun-tan lotion and your Hawaiian shirts - you're goin' to the Pro Bowl!!!!!

I wouldn't say it 'hurts' - it's just sadly disappointing that Losman was unable to succeed here, whatever the cause. What will 'hurt' is when he returns to the NFL in 2 seasons - wearing orange and teal - and leads the Dolphins to the playoffs, while the Bills still languish in the cellar.

I'm sure we all have very fond memories of 'The Captain' that we'd like to share at this moment - like that time when Cyndi Lauper beat the crap out of him and Rowdy Roddy Piper on... 'Piper's Pit' Godspeed, rubber-band-man.

Some independent thoughts - minus all the passion and vitriol - on Jason 'FatSlob' Peters, the meaningless Pro Bowl, and the Bills-Eagles trade that got a $60M cancer off of our roster just in the nick of time... 'The Pro Bowl is a joke. Some of the top players opt out. Those who go don't really try. It's not even a real football game. And it's impossible to bet on because no one puts forth any effort. As a degenerate gambler, I do not find this appealing. However, the reason I hate the Pro Bowl more than anything is that there are far too many crappy players named to the two squads. I don't think the NFL should strip the fans of all of the decision-making, but it's a joke because there too many clueless voters out there. Jason Peters is the perfect example. Peters, a 6-4, 340-pound mauling left tackle, is entering his sixth year. In 2006, he started all 16 games and surrendered just two sacks.... Since the 2006 campaign, Peters' play has regressed exponentially. In 2007, Peters gave up six sacks in 15 contests. And last year, things got downright ugly, as Peters surrendered a whopping 11.5 sacks in just 13 games, good for tops in the NFL. Peters was also whistled for eight penalties, a career high for him. Now you see why I hate the Pro Bowl so much. How could the league's worst left tackle, statistically speaking, be voted in as one of the premier players at his position?' link

Excellent point, Bill. That 32 GMs took passed on JP just about says it all because, as we all know, they have an uncanny knack for always being right. Just like all 32 of 'em were when let Tom Brady sit until the 6th round of the draft, or when they all took a pass on... Kurt Warner Jeff Garcia Tony Romo Warren Moon Jake Delhomme Adam Vinatieri London Fletcher Pat Williams Antonio Pierce Antonio Gates Wes Welker Brain Waters Priest Holmes Jeff Saturday Willie Parker James Harrison Rod Smith John Randle and, of course, a favorite of yours, mine, and Bills fans everywhere... Jason Peters No question JP was 'damaged goods' after 5 years in the circus known as the Buffalo Bills...ahem...'organization' - but I think that, especially after watching them screw with your boy Trent Edwards, even you would have to agree that the Bills hold a fair share of the blame for Losman's development - or lack thereof - as a QB. It'll be a real hoot if JP Losman returns to the NFL in 2 years, and emerges as one of the better QBs in the league, no?

Come on now, Biscuit - the statement's not all that far-fetched, particularly when you take into account that Jauron is coaching the Bills

fixed.

Captain Checkdown has won "a lot more games than JP" ???? Really????? I've got 'Trenters' down as having 13 wins (and 14 losses) as a Bills starting QB, and JP with 12 wins - maybe someone can verify those #'s, and maybe someone else can verify whether 1 win constitutes "a lot more wins than JP"

Or, I could just hook up with a gal who already has one... The Schimmel Transparent, Otmar Alt, and Pegasus are all based on the Schimmel K213 7'3" grand, and the unsual cabinetry does not affect the tone or touch of the piano - though the Pegasus has a slightly convex keyboard (they call it 'ergonomic') and you practically have to climb into the thing because of the integrated bench, and the Transparent has a slightly 'brighter' sound than the standard K213's kota-wood cabinet. (Somehow, I knew the bizarre Otmar Alt would appeal to you.) The WTC Schimmel was actually designed by architect Daniel Libeskind and is implemented on the K280 (9' 4") concert grand - it's Libeskind's bizarre cabinet design that stretches the thing to 20'. There's quite a bit of experimentation going on in the piano industry these days - in both case design and even the inner componentry, including a European company making custom sound boards out of crystal (the conventional material is spruce). I have no idea how that affects the tone, but you can do just about anything to the outside of the piano w/out affecting it's tone. Ever see an alligator-skin piano? I call it the... Bösendorfer Model 'IZOD' (it can be yours for a mere $1.5M)

I can't believe what American 'muscle-cars' of the 60's & 70's fetch these days - a hemi-cuda convertible went for over a $million$ at the BJ auction a few years back.

Like I said, 2 years and he'll be back in the NFL in an orange & teal uniform - haunting the Bills.

Bingo - if the Bills are ahead, or even tied, I believe the fans will be cordial. If we're down by a bunch, all bets are off - but I really don't like the idea of booing the old guy during his ring presentation, no matter what the score.

Way to over-react,'ski... McKelvin's house was not vandalized - two adolescent boys out past their curfew acted stupid and messed up his lawn a little. And Whitner's house was not broken into - his own 'friends' were inside watching the game at his invitation, and helped themselves to $400K worth of bling. But I agree somewhat - while I'd like to give RW an earful, I'm not comfortable disrupting his HOF ring-presentation. (Then again, if we're down 21-0 against the win-less Browns at the half, all bets are off! )

A little cultural stereotyping??? (Great article, though - thanks.) I was very impressed when I drove the Ferrari, er, played the Fazioli - the thing has 4 pedals instead of the usual 3, and is over 10' long. Was surprised that the strings are not individually hitched, but the tone is absolutely unique - an extremely clean, clear, un-muddled, utterly pristine timbre that cuts through the room like a knife and makes you sound better than you actually are. I have a line on an '83 Bösendorfer Imperial - like the one at Cornell, only newer - here in WNY for $45K. Wanna loan me the $$$$ ??? Sen's New Toy? Better View It's really quite the bargain - a new one goes for over $200K - and this one has real ivory keys, which you can't get on any piano since about 1988. It's 9' 6" long and has 9 extra keys (total of 97), which makes it a good foot wider than your typical concert grand. The things are freaking huge - a full 3' 6" longer than my Lombard Street-Yamaha C3. But if you want exotic cases, Schimmel puts the other piano houses to shame... The Schimmel Glas (would look great in Salvatore's - or the NF casino, but they bought a cheap, crummy Steinway which they hate and which has given them nothing but problems, including a complete re-stringing of the bass) The Schimmel Otmar Alt (would be perfect at the Albright Knox, but they also overpaid for an extremely inferior, very lousy new Steinway, probably because they're quite stupid and don't know sh_t about pianos - someone said 'Steinway', and the board said, "I've heard of him! ) The Schimmel Pegasus (Prince has one, Vladimir Putin has two) The Schimmel Whatever (at 20', it's gotta be the world's longest piano - a 'one-off' design for the NYC Freedom Tower) Anywho, in addition to my own musical toys, I now have access to a 9' Young Chang to pound on - but I keep trying to figure out how to get my hands on and justify $45K for a frivolous indulgence like that Bösendorfer, and wonder where the heck I'm gonna put the darn thing While I work that all out, enjoy some of Rachmaninov's Piano Sonata #2 on one of the cleanest sounding pianos you'll ever hear... link

Gotta go to a function at the Karpeles Manuscript Library, then - as all WNYers should - will watch tonite's episode of The Office to see how they portray the City of Niagara Falls... 'The Office' is ready for its Niagara Falls nuptials But will check in online to see how JP did in his UFL debut... GO LOCO!!!!

Since you've been begging my to reply all morning, thurman, instead of bumping this thread all day like you've been doing, why don't you and bandit just set up your own "I LOVE JASON PETERS" worship site? (I'm sure someone can even help you two set up an e-storefront to sell your collection of his worn gym socks and used jock straps! )

Actually, an exploration into the evolution of the 'net & the modern web could be quite fascinating for some, though tedious for most who just want things to work when they 'turn their Internet on'. (Certainly, it would be enlightening for the folks who still believe that Al Gore invented the Internet. ) I'm sure there are few born after 1980 who know about DARPAnet, the 1964 Rand Corporation study that lead to the CCITT Recommendation X.25 and the evolution of packet-switching and TCP/IP, the scientists at Bolt Beranek & Newman that - in an effort to develop a 'self-healing' network that could survive a natural or military catastrophe - invented the network switches that led to today's modern routers, etc., not to mention the achievements of luminaries like Vint Cerf, Robert Metcalf, etc., etc. Heck, now I'm thinking of writing it myself.

What???!!!! No love for... Mike Leach ?????

I wonder if ALPO will be a sponsor?

Then, there's this... Tweeting is starting to get on a lot of people's nerves. New York Jets receiver David Clowney was benched after his Twitter message riled coach Rex Ryan. The Miami Heat was told: no more messages from the arena. Arizona Cardinal Larry Fitzgerald had to apologize because his brother ripped quarterback Kurt Warner, and Green Bay linebacker Nick Barnett briefly quit the social networking site. Even mellow Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson, an unusually modern 62-year-old, is wrestling with whether to permit tweeting by his team. Texas Tech coach Mike Leach didn't bother debating - the Texas Tech football team was banned from tweeting after a player criticized the coach. "It's "a bunch of narcissists that want to sit and type stuff about themselves all the time," Leach said. "We'll put mirrors in some of their lockers if that's necessary, but they don't have to Twitter." I, too, am sick & tired of the way Jauron coddles this bunch of spoiled, rich, heartless, spineless, under-performing narcissists. It's no wonder they love the guy, and love playing for him - there are absolutely no consequences whatsoever for failing put forth at least a modicum of effort. The guy you want is...

"Look under my shirt if you want - for the 10th time, I don't have your freaking bling!!!"

It's always been that way - unless the Sabres are setting the league on fire, most folks don't even pay attention to hockey until January, when the Bills season ends. Then we start glancing at the NHL standings.