The Avenger

I thought it was fairly common for guys from The U to skip non-mandatory team practices and instead gather at The U for workouts with one another (I know Edge has done that). Don't get me wrong, I still wish he'd practice with the Bills, but I thought that missing practices was nothing new for Willis and fellow alums (can you be called an alum if you don't graduate?).

What's really scary is the economic impact this could generate even if its not widespread or severe in the number of people who are killed. Remember the economic impact of SARS? It was substantial even though very few people actually got it and fewer still were killed. By the time you need to worry about actually contracting avian flu here you'll have already been pounded by its economic impact in terms of price inflation and corporate cutbacks (layoffs). That's going to be the really ugly part of this.

If you read the report, the export question is unique in that the more educated the respondant, the more likely the question was to be answered incorrectly (overestimating the power of China). I missed that one, but at least I can take heart in being an edjumakated dumbass....

I'm fine with not giving him the 10-15 years of death penalty appeals that would allow him to come into court time and time again and make a spectacle of himself and give him more quotes in the newspapers. He was begging for the death penalty in serious Br'er Rabbit style. Thirst for blood shouldn't cloud anyone's thought that he actually ended up with the worst possible pumishment for him - a life of solitude and anonymity in a supermax cell.

I love how Cartman's murder plot, when drawn out on paper, clearly says "Frame Token!" at the bottom - classic!

If you play the Beatles version of the Shout! song backwards it clearly says that Mike Williams killed Paul and then signed with Jacksonville - try it!

Mother - Danzig

Exactly the 2 I missed as well. I'd still like to see how they calculate the "value of goods and services exported" and see how close the U.S. and China are.

Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together - mass hysteria. -Bill Murray, Ghostbusters, 1984

I think the rule is BECASE he's a junior.... Ohio State graduates late - June 11....

Jinx! See post below (and don't speak until I say your name 3 times)...

Just read an interesting story that Santonio Holmes will miss a few weeks of the Steelers minicamp in the spring because he's a junior and an NCAA-NFL agreement is that they can't take part in NFL workouts until their schools hold graduations. Ohio State does hold graduation until June 11 - pretty late. Anyone know if that will conflict with Bills minicamp? Whitner and Youboty are juniors so I think they'd be subject to the rule. Holmes Barred

He wasn't too critical... Brain Trust Goes for Smarts Critics Taking Aim but Marv Stuck to his Guns

Buffalo is the only team in the league that could draft Jesus at #42 and he'd still not be a quality starter (on the bright side, he would be an excellent locker room leader and cure leppers and they could replace the water boy with a wine boy).

This pick has Erik Flowers written all over it - somebody who only the Bills see as being good enough to draft in the top 10 when everybody in the whole world sees he's not that good. There's a reason why we haven't been a good team in a long time - piss poor talen evaluation and getting way too cute on draft day.

Our franchise LT was actually Mike Williams - too bad he moved to guard and then sucked so bad he got cut...

Looks like the cast of a really awful 70s porn movie - 2 girls and 8 of the hairiest guys you'll ever see....

So here's my theory on the evolution of relationships and how it impacts football watching. Stage 1 - Dating - You, as an independent, not fully comitted (not in a legal sense anyway) person pretty much get to set your own rules. You have your own TV and your own schedule. You want to watch the game or the draft, you do it. If she like the game or the draft, great, if not she can find something else to do. Often times she'll watch the game (or in rare cases, the draft), to spend time with you. If you're lucky she watches because she's genuinely interested in it and not just hanging out with you because she's clingy, insecure or unable to find anything else to do. Stage 2 - Living together - not much different than stage 1 above, only now when you're watching the game in "our" living room on "our" TV. You still pretty much set the rules, but you've assumed some responsibilities as well. She may do the cooking, but you have to take out the garbage (any sharing of chores works). Just as you woudn't expect her to blow off her responisbilities for a solid 48 hours, she's not going to let you do it either. Good news is that your responsibilities get to be moved so they don't interfere with the game/draft - you take the garbage out AFTER round 7. Stage 3 - Married - HUGE jump here. You're now legally bound to her and she knows it. You still think you're king of the jungle IF she lets you think that. If she knows how passionate you are about football, watching the game or the draft is something she puts up with - she knows it makes you happy. She might give you crap for doing it, but in the end you get to watch it because you give her crap about buying too many shoes when she goes to the mall. Tradeoffs everywhere. Stage 4 - Married Homeowner - In addition to being legally bound to your mate, you now own real property together. Property that'll take you 30 years to pay off. Property that you're responsible for maintaining. Do it right and you have a nice place that increases in value. Do it poorly and you live in a run down place that'll be a real bear to sell when you want. The list of things you need to do is endless even if you're not a Bob Vila type - mow the lawn, paint the house, completely redo the kitchen. Seeing as you work, most of this needs to get done on the weekends, the same time the game/draft is on. You may be able to carve out time to watch the game or the draft, but only if you're still able to keep up with the responsibilities you currently have. This is where the "honey do" list comes in. Get it ahead of time and work like crazy on Saturday to get it all done and you can spend a few flak-free hours in front of the tube on Sunday. Stage 5 - Married homeowner with small kids - In addition to holding down a job and having plenty of responsibilities as a homeowner, you are now responsible for the life of another human being . Maybe it was OK to let the lawn grow long or the fence to fall into disrepair, but if you don't feed, bathe, clothe and make sure your kids don't fall down the basemet steps, you have real problems. No matter how passionate you are about football, the family has to come first. You might be able to try and plan to watch the game or the draft, but things can and will pop up that will force you from the TV - it's just a fact. Stage 6 - Married with older kids - Things start to get a bit better now. You still have lots of responsibilities, but your kids are old enough to generally take responsibility for their own welfare. If you're not driving them to soccer practice or expected at one of their games or recitals, you can probably catch the game/draft - planning ahead is key. Stage 7 - Married with grown kids - now you're back to some good times. The kids are no longer a responsibility - they have their own lives. Your house may be where you want it to be (after 40 years of projects). You may be retired, leaving you plenty of time to do what needs to be done AND have some fun in your free time. Assuming you're still passionate about football, the game/draft can now actually be a legitimate hobby. As the wife knits, you kick back and watch the Bills, remembering how good we were in the early 90s with Kelly, Reed, Thomas and Bruce - those were the days. If only Norwood had made that kick you could go to the great beyond (on the bright side it's only 2050 and they could still win the Super Bowl NEXT year).

I think you answered your own question about why nore people don't invest in equipment - it's a $300K rig. At $35 a yard, that's a heck of a lot of business you need to pay that off. Not sure what bank is going to loan $300K out to anyone with those types of numbers, but if you already have some or all of that money getting a $300K rig isn't that hard. Takes money to make money, and if you don't have it, it's hard to get started.

Just thought I'd ask who is going to takeover for the M.I.A. Nutcrackers and how this will impact the draft - what's up? Nutcrackers have first pick - does this top pick go to the replacement team? Do they get dropped and everyone else moves up a spot?

Nope - the flu is still going strong - not sure when the season officially ends, but I imagine it's not until it gets warmer in the northern states (still pretty cold in the Northeast and Northern plains). CDC Flu Map for 4/15

Let me guess - single guy, no house, no kids?

I DO get Bills games during the season - the entire afternoon because I go into Boston to see the games with the Backers at thae Harp. Not too bad, considering I have twins less than 2 years old - letting anyone leave and having to take care of 2 little ones by yourself for an extended period of time is tough. Like the NYT article says though, most women just don't get the draft. My wife's a big football fan, but even she thinks watching the draft for any length of time is stupid. Given the circumstances, I usually don't get the draft weekend to myself... It is funny to pick out the single guys in their responses. When you're a single guy it's easy to think you're just going to lay down the law and do what you want to to for the weekend and she can do something else if she doesn't like it - when you're a married homeowner with kids suddenly the king of the jungle routine doesn't work. Ah, to be young again!

Looks like all you need to do is text 'Bills' to 1400 - not sure if you need to be a Verizon subscriber, though...

Spoken like an unmarried guy who doesn't have a wife making lists of things that need to get done on the weekends - if only it was as easy as saying, "do what you want - I'm sitting here for 48 hours"