sullim4

Here's a novel idea: Why not allow ties after 4 quarters? Why is a tie such a bad thing? It would encourage teams to go for two and not kick field goals during regulation. In the case of the playoffs, why not just keep playing full 15:00 quarters until the game is NOT tied at the end of one?

Tipping - I almost always double the tax and round up to the nearest dollar. At 9.5% out here that usually works out to more than 20%. I usually have a "minimum" tip when I visit a cheapo place like an ihop or similar local establishment, which is typically $4 unless the service was awful, in which case I'll adjust accordingly. Servers earn larger tips from me if they keep my beverage filled and are actually visible if I need something. Too many of them stay in the kitchen for five minutes when I run out of something like bread, ketchup, cocktail sauce, whatever. Pickup - never, the only exception being a place like Outback that'll take it out to your car, when I'll usually leave $2. Another note. I NEVER complain about my meal. Ever - I've been brought the wrong thing and I'll still eat it... but I've never been in a situation where a completely different entree has been brought out. I've read about and heard too many horror stories with chefs and wait staff retaliating against complainers that I simply won't do it.

Oh please. You're a BILLS fan and you're talking smack before it's over? I've been burned far too many times in the past.

I live in the Puget Sound area and kinda made it a day trip. Stayed overnight in Burlington, WA, which is along I-5. That allowed me to get up there early to meet a friend who lives in Richmond, park my car, hop on the skytrain, and check things out. No wait at the border, but the US CBP officer coming back was a royal jackass, taking issue that I as a US citizen would associate with someone from Canada. Not sure what that has to do with determining my citizenship or duty owed... It was definitely crowded in the afternoon (not at all in the morning) but I didn't think prices were outrageous. Cheaper than NYC for sure.

And with respect to the whole NBC debacle... As someone who works in the tech industry, it pisses me off to see what amounts to censorship online. NBC is taking pages out of China's book by blocking access to content. The good old USA is the only country in the world where you don't have access to live feeds of every Olympic event online, which tells me that this is NBC's doing, not the IOC's. If anything, this should be proof positive that Comcast cannot be trusted to own the means of production (NBC) and the pipe to deliver it (the cable operation), because soon enough, it'll be required that you subscribe to their services in order to access any content at all. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I really hope that ABC/ESPN will get the rights to the games post-2012, when NBC's contract expires. They have enough capacity (ABC, ESPNHD, ESPN2HD, ESPNNewsHD, ESPNU HD) to show multiple live events, in high definition, in real-time. Their coverage of MNF this year has shown that they can listen to criticism and actually cover the sport itself instead of blab about unrelated nonsense. NBC, on the other hand, has not.

The Danes are better - curlers wearing skirts! Who would have thought of such a wonderful thing?

Some thoughts: - Miller hasn't been legitimately tested yet. Norway was awful. - There seemed to be an influx of people from Toronto. TONS of Leafs jerseys, almost no Canucks/Flames/Oilers jerseys. My guess though is that, as usual, Leafs fans were trying be obnoxious since the vast majority of people had generic "Team Canada" jerseys, many of which were Luongo's. Good for Canucks fans, boo to Leafs fans. - In the same vein, the Canadians were rooting for Norway, even though one of their Canucks (Kessler) was playing for the US. Karma is a B word - Switzerland took Canada to a shootout. - Watching hockey in Canada is just great. Here are two teams playing where they don't have a rooting interest and the place is rocking. Exactly what I'd expect given the Canuck games I've been to. - VANOC is taking a lot of heat in terms of how they're running the show, but I thought they did an excellent job with crowd control and the venues. Public transit had significant lines, though... only 2 cars per skytrain. - They really didn't shut down the city, there were more streets downtown with private cars than without. - NBC should be ashamed of themselves. People all over the place downtown were watching CTV through store windows at the live events. NBC's mindset is back in the pre-internet days and it is no wonder why they are in fourth place.

Tailgating earns the NFL next to nothing, other than the parking fees. You're making your own food, and many people stay outside and don't watch the game. This argument will not fly with them. There are two ways to make money - raise revenues or cut costs. The big markets excel in the former, the Bills do well in the later. What makes the NFL money are PSLs and luxury boxes. Nosebleed seats (particularly in Buffalo) make owners much, much less. The saving grace for RWS is that, because it's old, they can look the other way on a lot of things that need repair. The heating elements in the outdoor club seats are one example. The rusting chain-link fence around the stadium perimeter is another one. A lot of other factors, too. Artificial turf is a lot less costly to maintain than actual grass, labor is cheaper in Buffalo than it is in NYC, DC, or Boston, etc. Vendor contracts are probably also cheaper than in larger cities.

As a facility, it's nowhere near Lincoln Financial Field - I'd rank that one the best football stadium I've been to (I was sitting in clubs during a preseason game, so I was going more for the facility than the game itself). I'd say RWS is on par with Arrowhead or Lambeau.

Depends on what happens in FA. If we sign a free agent NT (Wilfork?), we'll draft OT or QB in the first round. If we don't, I think it's pretty much guaranteed that we'll draft a NT with our first. Obviously Maybin shifts to LB. I think Schobel makes the move to OLB as well.... so you've got Maybin/Poz/Mitchell/Schobel there. If Schobel retires/gets cut/etc, look for them to sign a lesser LB in FA and draft a LB in the 3rd or 4th round to back him up. Stroud and Williams stay as DEs. Goodbye Kelsay... EDIT: and this of course means Bryan Scott can return to S. Maybe that means goodbye Whitner?

27. Einstein has competition!

Cindy Crosby scores Lindy must rally the troops Don't be like the Bills

Colts fans post to win Saints fans post their cockiness We post Pixyland

If the owners are the ones who lock out the players, can they put in replacements? They definitely can if the players strike, but if the owners are the ones refusing to let the players on the field, I wonder what labor law has to say on the subject of replacement players.

So, do they black out the Pro Bowl in Miami if it fails to sell out?

Wow. I am pleasantly shocked. Has Ralph really let go of the reigns?

I still do them by hand. I bought a new house this year and it's really not that hard... following the directions on Schedule A will do you good. If you qualify for the home buyer tax credit (I did not), you will have to submit a paper return because they demand your HUD-1 statement. You can still use a Turbotax-like program, but you'll have to print out your return, not e-file it.

Ralph still hates him. You will never see this happen.

Uhh.... that pic is horrible. She looked better on TV.

Mr. Larry!!!!

R19 - Scott Green U96 - Undrey Wash HL5 - John McGrath LJ45 - Jeff Seeman FJ75 - Ron Vernatchi SJ78 - Greg Meyer BJ12 - Greg Steed I'll admit that I follow the officials a bit, in addition to being a Bills fan. This crew selection is quite surprising. Scott Green is the white hat that did the Arizona/Green Bay Wild Card playoff game. You might recall that there were numerous RTP calls against the two defenses that bordered on questionable, and the odd ending to the game that involved a potential illegal hands to the face penalty. I am quite surprised that the NFL didn't sub him out for a more experienced referee, such as Ed Hochuli or Terry McAulay. The umpire, Wash, was on Walt "Just give it to 'em" Coleman's crew for 2008. That crew called a total of 23 offensive holding penalties in 2008 (which is the latest I have full-season stats for), which put that crew in the lower quartile overall. Expect the offensive lines to get away with a little more. Another thing to watch out for is that two of the rear officials (Meyer and Steed) were on crews that, in 2008, called a combined 13 defensive pass interference penalties (Meyer's crew only called 5 ALL SEASON). That's a very LOW number for two crews combined. Given the pass-happy offenses that are going to be playing, expect the corners to get away with a little more than usual. Don't expect big plays to come on DPI calls. The over/under is 55.5 right now. With this crew, I'd be inclined to take the OVER.

Why does Brees deserve the chance any more than Favre? Because he won a coin toss? He had the ball last, after all.

And one team scoring, and the game being immediately over is somehow a purer form of football? It's a logicaly equivalent bastardization in my mind. At least the NCAA version tests BOTH offense and defense.

They did, but the zebras saw otherwise.

And neither did Brees. Why punish Favre but not Brees?