shrader

I don't know what the problem is, but try typing in the full 4-digit year.

Most wouldn't even have the opportunity to ignore it. They wouldn't get any press at all. Really, when I see issues like this one pop up, it just strengthens my negative feelings towards the majority of the media. People despise the actions of the Westboro baptists, so let's give them a stage to take their act to the next level. People can say what the want about this "church", but they are very smart people and they know exactly what they're doing. But then again, I guess the media does as well (ratings).

And they do the same thing all over the country, right?

I hate saying it, but a member of this church really needs to die in an event like this crash. Will they then protest one of their own?

That whole site is addictive.

That's a big part in this one. Hockey players get to fly under the radar. Yes, their sport is far less popular, but football players also stand out far more in a crowd. Even the largest of hockey players (other than someone like Chara) would be dwarfed by the size of most football players. There's definitely something to the different culture of the players though too. Just looking at some of the stories that float around out here in Boston, every sport has their scandals, but the hockey ones do seem to be less violent as a whole. The typical hockey moment involves alcohol and stupidity.

But isn't the stereotype usually Muslims attacking non-Muslims? So he's got that going for him. Sure, there's plenty of conflicts between different branches of islam, but that's not what most people think about.

You listed it as a spoiler, but I don't see any reason to leave the spoiler tag since it already aired. So anyway... The other guy was too obvious though. They've used this trick a few times now. They make it ridiculously obvious that someone is a mole. Then when they actually come close to revealing it, they focus completely on another character (Garafolo) to make people think that one is dirty instead. Plus the guy's an icon on this show. I don't want to watch a season of 24 that doesn't include Aaron, even if it was his crappy limited role last season. I like how they've completely left Tony in the dark for a few hours now. Make people forget about him only to bring him back in a big way. I'd say it gives more fuel to the idea that he's still working for the bad guys. The Dubaku storyline looks like it's ending soon, so we could end up with evil Tony leading the way again.

Aaron F'n Pierce! Now just find a way to guarantee that he survives this season too.

Notice how often he avoids eye contact with Letterman. He keeps avoiding Dave so that he doesn't break the character and laugh after one of his jokes.

And it looks like Letterman actually broke him after the "sorry you couldn't be here tonight" line. Phoenix laughed and smiled at that one.

This comment will come back to haunt me, they almost always do. This team is special.

Who can she ask though, the Palmer brothers?

The only ice time stat you ever see is the average per game. The injuries will have a very minor impact on that number at best.

You not trusting Tony seems so funny after your mini-rant about him.

I think they messed up on a good angle to go with Tony (so far anyway). Tony as a bad guy would be just like Jack, except he took one wrong turn somewhere along the line. Two guys who have given everything for their work, one still believes in the country, the other doesn't. We've said it over in over in here, but I wouldn't be surprised to see this day go back down that line.

Two full episodes without Turk last night. That was different. I take it that the Aziz you guys are talking about is Ed? I can't stand the character and I'm glad he got fired. I can't think of anyone more annoying during the entire run for this show, not even JD. So far, Joe is the only worthwile intern out of this group.

Some of it will obviously be ruined for you, but you definitely should watch them when you get the chance. The earliest seasons which usually get the most positive responses should actually be pretty much spoiler free for you.

Yeah, that was one full day of the completely unexpected. The BU-Harvard game was a hell of a lot of fun. Once BU got their first, it really felt like they were about to start their roll, but you have to give Harvard credit for getting back in that game in the 3rd. I have no idea how anyone in the arena actually thought that goal at the end was before the buzzer, but still, an interesting way to end a game. The BC game was an obvious let down. That one was the clear favorite for the game of the night but that didn't happen. I was significantly liquored up at that point though (god I love this tournament), so I didn't really mind. That BU-NU final has incredible potential. They are by far the two biggest fan bases at these games. Each school's "student sections" are right next to each other and they'll end up filling up about half of the upper bowl. The atmosphere is going to be great. It's nice to see NU with a good program again, because there is so much more energy in their crowds now. I might not even need the beer next week. The back and forth between those two groups may be entertaining enough... but I'll still have the beer too. edit: There are some stories of a flu bug floating around the BU locker room. That could have a major impact (and may have yesterday).

I like where they're going with him right now. You know that at some point in the day, his past actions that he's so troubled by are going to come out. It should be interesting when we actually find out what he has done.

That column is a bunch of crap. Like I said earlier, no other conference is a viable option. The WCHA is the only one open to expansion, but they're just doing that for Bemidji. The ECAC is the best fit, but they won't be expanding anytime soon. Hockey East isn't an option. They're all New England and they're not about to suddenly change that by bringing in Niagara. The CCHA hasn't had any recent talk of expansion. Niagara has to play somewhere. They could've gone the independent route again, but no one would be willing to play them. Atlantic Hockey is their only option. If they can go out and continue to put together strong teams, dominating that league, they'll eventually force the ECAC's hand. Unfortunately, it's going to take a while to do that.

What's the story there, they're joining Atlantic Hockey? If that's the case, they really don't have much of a choice. The CHA is dead. The best fit for Niagara would be the ECAC, but they're not going to expand past the 12 teams they already have. The CCHA would probably be a good fit geographically, but they won't go beyond 12 teams either. The WCHA is the only major conference that is willing to expand, but I can't see Niagara as a realistic option. I could see the school being willing to take on the brutal travel that would be necessary. If Alaska-Anchorage can do it, they can. They just don't have the facilities that league would be looking for. I'd love to see Niagara thrive. They've got a great hockey market to tap into for both fans and recruits. It looks like too tough a road though. The best I can see happening there is they form a nice little rivalry with RIT, which could eventually force the ECAC to take both of them. They like to stick to a travel partners schedule, so those two schools would work (especially since I can't see Canisius as a serious program).

It wasn't just Gerbe though. They've been in the finals three years in a row. Sure, last year was the Gerbe show, but Brian Boyle played a huge roll in the previous two years. The rest of the team definitely helped, but they've had some strong leadership on top of it all over those three years. I keep hearing from people very close to that team that it is what is killing them right now and why they won't go as far this year. Like I said earlier though, I won't believe they're dead until they actually get eliminated.

The only way Minnesota ends up on the bubble is if they go into the tank for the rest of the year. It's completely possible, but they're too good of a team to end up in that situation. Since I went to BU, I'd like to say that I'm a bit biased on my opinion of them, but I've distanced myself from the team a bit in the last few years. I've been trying to watch the conference as a whole now, so I think it's safe to say that there isn't much bias in my statement that BU is legit. The balance on that team is incredible. Each line can score at any point... and they usually do. They should end up in the frozen four, but you can never be sure with single elimination or injuries. I fully expect BC to be there too. York is the best in the business and he gets them to play on the big stage. So until they're actually eliminated, I'll be expecting to see them playing in the final.

Obviously BU is the favorite since they always win it, but that team is an absolute juggernaut right now. Not only have they been beating good teams, they've been slaughtering them. They're a real treat to watch. I'll be there for both games. Working basically right across the street makes that pretty easy.