BuffOrange

Pretty stupid comment IMO.

Bill, I agree. Above average player in his 2nd year and Pro Bowl caliber (who cares whether he actually makes it) by his 3rd seems perfectly fair for what they used to get him. As for some of these other comments: I disagree with the implication that relative to their positions, Roy Williams is a much better player than A. Winfield. Christ, int's aren't everything, some of it's luck, he's gotten some in Minnesota, and Williams is no great shakes in coverage.

Give it a rest dude, you're being such a nit. They used a 1st round pick on RJ. They also used a first round pick on JP they would've otherwise kept if they hadn't gotten JP. Yes, they still had 2 first round picks - but the fact that JP needed to be drafted from college and RJ didn't is for all practical purposes, a negligible point, as the net loss was the same.

H.A., I agree there are some rough parallels. My point was, it was almost understandable how passionate the RJ/Midget controversy was because they were a playoff team. For the life of me I can't understand why people are so hell-bent on tearing down Holcomb and pushing J.P.'s jock. I guess message boards encourage these sort of polarizing views, but again...the team sucks, so I don't get it.

Yeah but, but but....4th & 7 More ironic is the fact that these are many of the same "1 play pony" Flutie lovers who pretend the '98 sack & fumble in Miami never happened....that wasn't an important play or anything.

You're kidding right? The reason you don't see "lack of upside" and "Holcomb" in the same sentence is because even the so-called "JP bashers" aren't under any illusions that Holcomb is in fact the long term solution. As for the OP, IMO it's pretty retarded to compare this situation with the RJ/Midget fiasco. Back then it actually mattered because we had a decent team. Now it's more like AVP/Collins/Billy Joe in '97. Whatever, the team sucks and so do the QB's.

I've seen worse, but Christ - I really can't believe designers get paid for some of these uniforms. How much thought did the Houston Texans put into theirs? "Oh lets go with navy blue pants because that looks good and original!" God, they're more overpaid than athletes. Give me a dark green or red shirt with silver pants....simple, sharp, and not terribly common. Why is that so hard?

I don't understand how Mexico got such a sweetheart deal when the US beat them in the llast cup and Mexico hasn't beaten them outside of Mexico City in like 10 years? Anyway, speaking of Mexico - from what I understand from people who follow the sport - both teams' ratings were inflated because of who they play. I didn't realize that pretty much all international non World Cup games were played between teams from the same continent. I mean, the North/Central America is no Europe, so I guess that inflates our record and ranking.

'Embarrased' is a bit extreme. They were not a favorite to come out of the group. They played Italy very well to a draw. Ghana is one of the best teams in Africa and that was a draw w/out the brutal PK call. Granted, the Czech game was awful.

Yep, at least it's only soccer

This is now true on so many levels

Well what can you do - the world hates us. That's soccer I guess. I thought I recognized that ref from the '72 Olympics in Munich.

Yeah the Bills are a lock, but the Rams are going to screw us! How did they get this #5 ranking? Do they just draw names out of a hat?

Congrats to the Heat - very 2002 Lakeresque - if anybody remembers the WWF style officiating vs. Sacramento. Wade is phenominal and Miami won Games 4 and 6 but the refs clearly decided 3 and 5. Probably the only sport where I can begin the series rooting for one team and pull an Italy before Game 6 because one team is getting jobbed so badly. Thank God I'm not a big fan of that game anymore.

Not bad, I give your email a solid B...could've gotten an A- with a Coy Wire or Ryan Denney or Bledsoe reference.

1. Lame rationalization 2. Were the other 10 guys also 6'7"?

Agreed. FWIW I'd probably take Brown first then McGahee. Martin = done. Dillion = teh stink.

Seriously?

A lot of the non-American reports seem to think the officiating was fair. If that's the case, it's another reason for me to not care about soccer. I usually root for Italy when they're playing other teams cause that's my heritage but God, their diving was pathetic.

There is no question about this. Soccer is and always has been a popular youth sport because of the lack of cost involved. As soon as the best athletes get into Jr. High, they start playing other sports because they can.

OK whatever, just throwing out suggestions. Your weekend/year comment doesn't make any sense. It is true that the greater the sample size, the more likely probability is to work itself out. This does not mean that the lesser of two expectations becomes greater than the other over a short sample. No, I would not double 5-3 against a 10. You're neglecting the previously mentioned #16 factor, which is the only alternative when you have 88.

Something my buddies & I used to do was pool our money together and just have 1 guy who knew what he was doing (usually me) play and split the winnings/losings. This way you don't go broke after one bad shoe and you can focus on making the correct mathematical decision of doubling/splitting rather than playing a chickenpoop risk-adverse style. Of course when I won $300 for 5 of us I could only think: "Damn I could've won $1500 on my own"

This is also the most nervracking moment you can experience at a blackjack table. Winning that split/double combo can make you a God among your friends and sprignboard a 4 figure winning night, or it can be BJ's version of "tilt" and spiral you into the toilet emotionally and financially for an entire weekend. It is the ultimate 'swing hand'. Leave the table immediately if you lose a hand like this. Bad times with those 8's, bad times. But hey, you gotta play the odds.

I think the basic idea is that while 8 vs. a 10 may not necessarily be a favorite, it has less of a negative expectation than 16; which you're going to lose with so often even when the dealer busts. Of course you're risking more $, but you might get lucky with a 3 and have a doubling opportunity on one of your splits, etc. Yeah, surrender adds a pretty cool aspect to the game as well. Of course, the dealer hits on soft 17 at some of those casinos, which isn't a good thing.

This a big reason why I don't care for the NBA much. In college hoops an early 10 pt lead seems to be a lot more meaningful, so I don't feel like I'm wasting my life away watching the 1st half.