Wizards Catch All Thread v2008.04 [NSR]

Re: Good Morning

I think saw them in the toy section because someone told them there was a chemistry set there but it only appears for sale if the same people are allowed to lineup to shop for it week after week.

No comments other than the Royals are only relevant to me every opening day and if someone comes in town and I have to kill 4 hours of time. As for lockerroom blow ups, they give a team a character/leader/villian/a point of change depending on how it's done. The Wizards need one of these. I feel our team is becoming rather bland like oatmeal. JC is comedy and good for some lines but I do miss the days of a Mo, McKeon, Meola, and even Vermes as a polarizing something er other that stood as the object by which all others were evaluated by. "Hey at least his not as big a ____ as Meola" etc... I think Harrington could be like this or even Jewsbury could start putting a personal stamp on some things. Right now I get that Dockers + Golf shirt - Johnson County Beige kinda feeling from our club. Queue the lockerroom blow up please - an no not you Coach.

It goes much deeper than this, we Americans like to thump our chests entirely too much. Fact is, US has only a couple high caliber players that can match against the top National teams - the rest are hopeful thinking that over time you begin to believe your own Koolaid. We are still so much trap, control, move, pass when it should all be done in the same action/touch. There's only one that can do it consistently (LD) the others play in goal. We're simply too thin.

Personally I'd like to see the whole Poker on TV thing just move on. Love to play it, but it doesn't need to be on every other sports channel, every other hour. The novelty has passed for me. Cut to shot of Helmuth's face, Cut to shot of Ngyuen's face, uh oh, Helmuth said something, cut back to Helmuth. Oh the drama, it can't be contained.

In general agreement with you. I see fines only being used for those actions which blatantly tend to taint the spirit of the game. It is part of it but if it is a player or a teams MO to do so I can see this being a helpful deterent. Unfortunately if you do it for one then the argument will be made for others and the bar will incrementally drop until the spirit of the implementation itself is lost and used only how it reads on paper and is twisted in its use. Much like any policing force does (cough - Rodney King's arresting officers and their use of force to "detain and secure" the perp who was not lying still - maybe because hes was getting his bones broken by batons - cough)

I can see where where pummeling a QB represents a risk to an entire franchise. The way the sport is designed and the way the physique and technics of the pro athelete is developed by the time they reach the pro's is very, very dangerous. You're asking an individual to stand undefended and let a 280+ highly tuned muscle tee of on him could kill him. Almost every other position in sports allows the person contacted to be reasonably aware of what is about to happen and they can protect themselves or at least brace it a bit. A back side end or linebacker blitz could be deadly in a literal sense. Prize fighters wouldn't even stand in for that. Again the essence of why that was needed has now been perverted and added to into to a point of nonsense in many areas that are now a detrement to the game and to the ability of the defense to make a play they should be. I'm sorry when you tackle on the run, at some point you dive to make the tackle and your head leads the way. There is no other way to do it.

Without looking, Pluto was reclassified in 2005(?) as a Planetoid thus making Neptune the fartherst officially recognized/accepted in the general scientific community. So the answer should be 1 (although there are entire generations who were taught something else - me being included in those generations).

 

Re: Good Morning

I would venture to guess 3-4 possible answers. As Beech said, the recognized one is Neptune, but then you got all of us, who were taught that it's Pluto. Then there is the planetoid after Pluto that some believe is the farthest planet. There could be more.

 

Re: Good Morning

[astronomy geek]

There are definitely planetoid sized rocks out past Pluto in the Kuiper Belt, and probably the Oort Cloud (I believe UB3something became Eris, and there was at least one more). The orbits are so long it will take generations to find out much about them.

I'm guessing they'll all probably be eventually classified as "dwarf planets" like Pluto or even "smaller" classes, though smaller isn't really appropriate. Triton, Neptune's largest moon is way bigger than Pluto, and might have once a Kuiper belt object as well, so the definition was always based on more than size.

 

Re: Good Morning

I can't speak on behalf of the other Texas schools but Rice loves to mock everything the Whorns do. The Hoot 'em is a blatent mock of Hook 'em but in a way where it was kind of an obvious joke. I mean HOOT 'em? Personally, its one of the many reasons I chose Rice as my baseball team when ISU dropped the program. It goes right up there with the 'Owlmaha' shirts that are a mock of those dumb University of Texas at Omaha shirts that they made a few years ago...I know this because I know the guy who made them and his sole intent was to mock the arrogance of Texas, but a lot of people don't get that and then just chalk it up to Rice being another arrogant Texas school.

If you want to know what Rice is about when it comes to Texas and have 5 minutes watch this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiOa7dBsyrY
its good for a decent laugh, mostly at the expense of horns.

Anyway, we start Friday as well. Hoot 'em Owls!

 

I seem to remember a certain Chiefs free safety who blew up on his teammates after a poor season had ended, suggestng through the media that Carl Peterson should "clean house". King Carl agreed: he fired him immediately, partly for his comments. Gotta hold your tongue sometimes.

Yeah I can't really add much to what has been said already. There are officially 8 sphereoids that orbit no other object but Sol, on the plane of the ecliptic, that have "planetary" mass. The farthest of them is Neptune. Any further Kuiper Belt Objects that are discovered will no doubt be labeled "dwarf planets". If they do find one that is larger than one of the 8 official planets, it probably will not orbit on the plane of the ecliptic, and that will be used as an excuse not to call it a planet. I agree with the policy, you have to just draw the line somewhere. The reality is that there are objects of every shape anmd size and the line will be blurry, but you can't keep updating text books every 6 months either. In the end, such designations are meaningless anyway.

 

Heading back to Honduras tomorrow (my fifth trip)...hopefully. Tropical storm/cyclone Alma may mess with our travel, we'll see.
Two weeks there, two different mission groups.

Hope to come back to a Wizards winning streak!

 

Re: Good Morning

Funny.

I couldn't decide among 5 responses, take your pick:

a) Chivas called and wanted to remind everyone they have 2/3 of a starting lineup on the injury list and still have as many points as KC does. Plus their GK just defected to Europe (or wants to) at the end of the season.
b) Nobody plays with the same lineup all season.
c) KC had one guy on the entire list just a bit ago.
d) Excuses, excuses, excuses.
e) Onolfo addressed this at his presser. His solution - score more goals and it doesn't matter...this was also the response to being questioned about the pk call last weel...and several other things over time.

JoCo Beige kind of feeling. Hillarious. Yeah, I agree. Onolfo did look fairly ready to blow, especially when discussing injuries and absences. His pucker factor is rising. There is no doubt of that.

It is shading towards overkill a little, but then again, so is college basketball, women's sports, and bad reality shows, TMZ type garbage, etc. We have hundreds of channels on 24/7. I do agree overall that much of it on is blah or worse.

If forced, I'd go with WSOP (ESPN) or POKER AFTER DARK (NBC latenight) or HIGH STAKES POKER (GSN). Skip everything else, it isn't worth anyone's time. HIP HOP POKER is particularly poor on every level. Anyway, WSOP becasue all the events are "Majors", PAD for the post-Shauna Hyatt rotating hostess and the unique groups of 6 playing, and HSP for the only spot on TV where you can find $500,000 buy-ins of the player's actual cash, in play, all the time, with no limit. Million+ dollar pots have happened and will again. Give me that over mediochre David Cook any time.

That's just the specticle of it. Certainly if attention is paid a person could learn a thing or two, if that holds value for anyone anyway.

That was the offering from the NBA office. I wonder how a piddly fine will be an actual deterent if you make 8 figures annually? Plus, those actions tinting the spirit of the game are already reviewed by an exec in NY. Just seems to be this is just more for the refs to mess up. Now you have fouls, Tech. fouls, shooting fouls, flagrant 1 and flagrant 2 fouls, along with everything else.

The guys are huge and fast, you have to have some deliniation, but it's getting ridiculous.

Yes, exactly. At $80 a seat an occasional death seems about right...

Kidding.

I'm OK with no head shots, what more is needed? The lowest paid QB's today are financially set after one season, many after just one game. Financially set. Plus Lloyds of London will be happy to underwrite a policy that pays $10-20 Million should that hit that never happens, happens.

Here's another thought. The NFL has refused (repeatedly) to institute exhisiting helmet technology. Players, like race drivers before them with the Hans Device, will not do it themselves although league rules allow the changes/additions. The NFL isn't really concerned about QB's melons, ratings drop over a loss of teh Manning types, but not the physiology.

Sooo, the answer is "3"?!?

I'd prefer to focus on the fact that just knowing what we know, and being able to "see" that far away (and much much farther) is really pretty amazing.

Anything derogitory towards UT is fine by me.

On driving through Oklahome an waht was apparently a game weekend long long ago I, as an 8 year-old kid, saw for the first time, adult humor in person. On an interstate was a highly decorated OU conversion van headed south. On the rear was a custom mounted tire case with the following message in OU maroon: "TUCK FEXAS". My Dad and I laughed, my Mom tried to be mad about it - as a Mom might and even she gave in to giggles later as well. We were a Lincoln, NE family in the late 70s and had no use for burnt orange, still don't, and at least hated OU was in conference. UT was in the old Southwestern Conf. at the time). Saw a similar sign on a Mizzou car on the way to a NU FB game in Columbia years later. I saw the word "FUSKERS" and busted up a little.

Sometimes. Not sure this was one of those times. 10 straight and after that loss? If not then, when should you?

KC Franchises: Annnnddd noooooowwwwwww, yooooooouuurrrrrr last place KC {Fill in the blank}s.....!!!!!!!

at least Tom Watson is winning still. Yes, I know KCW isn't quite in last.

AMATEUR GOLF: So, as I'm typing Mikea nd Mike are discussing a unique deal going on. 3 names you know and a random guy/Cancer survivor from Lincoln that won an essay will play this year's US Open PGA course a week before the actual US Open. They will do this in actual Tour conditions including set-up, a practice round, pin placements, actual in-round cameras, NBA airing it on tape, galleries, and even critical announcers. Big pressure. Neat deal.

This is in response to a comment made somewhere about how amateurs (7 handycap index or better, whatever that means) couldn't break 100 on a US Open course.

This is a unique and interesting crucible for everyone that thinks the weekend golf you play is anthing even remote close to the golf played on Tour week to week and especially a US Open week. The things we can do now.

On a loosly related note, The Masters, Inc. is working on a deal for their own video game. To date you have not been able to legally play a pixilated course of Agusta National. The stuffy ones in the clubhouse have nixed a great many offers to do so previouly. Word is it will not be part of Tiger '10


Today's googleable: As I have nothing, the origin of the word "nothing".

 

All I have to say is that I'm completely fascinated with this Kimbo Slice guy. Mr T just got a bad attitude and beats people up in backyards. Now he will be primetime on CBS's new MMA fights on Saturday nights.

 

umm....

anyone heard from him?

not joking around here... not sure which flights he was taking



http://www.reuters.com/article/topN...?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&rpc=22&sp=true

Plane skids off runway in Honduras

 

The article said it was a Salvadorian airline, so I would make the assumption that wouldn't be him.

 

depends on what connecting flights he had. Hopefully everything if okay and it it not him!

 

According to an email I received from Ticketmaster, the Wizards will be hosting our Mexican partner, Atlas AC, at the CAB on 7/11, the Friday after we play Dallas. Tickets go on sale Monday.

 

sure enough, here's the ticketmaster link: http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/060040BE87293298?artistid=805957&majorcatid=10004&minorcatid=11

interesting that its the day after we play new york.

 

And what's even more interesting is our reserves have a game on the 11th as well against New York.

Mods, can we get these 3 posts (and any later posts) split into a separate thread? Especially since this would be the Wizards first home friendly against a foreign team since 97.

 

That is a large...large man.

ESPN had a 3 minute article on him on Sportcenter this morning. Fully :10 seconds of which was total destruction and submission after two punches (and only two puches, BTW) of a half-decent MMA pro. He certainly has some Tyson-esque qualities in the ring. Same "on" switch, same destruction, same instant/must-see results.

Interesting life so far. Kid/good guy/friend/personal tragedy/thug/linebacker/street fighter/internet lesser diety/MMA specticle/legitimate MMA HWT contender.

Whatever he may be, you don't often see that type of physique outside of Mr. Olympia or 7" action figures. My goodness. The safest place in the Universe might be just directly behind him.


Blue Rocks: Count is 12, almost 1/10th of the season. Nobody likes a quitter...

Movie: Saw Kevin Spacey, Denis Leary, Laura Dern, and others in "Recount" (HBO). Good film. Not heavy handed, it did lay out the history of the complicated Florida hairball that ended up with Mr. Bush becoming the US President. I happened to see it with a mostly anti-current administration crowd (some Republicans). The general feeling mid-movie was that although the movie was well done, well acted, and interesting; it felt a little like watching the '84 Royals playoffs or Chiefs/Colts.

One thing I learned was that the US Supreme Court's decision was the one and only time in our nation's history that a decision was rendered with a clause limiting the ruling to a one-off in that specific case. Can't bend pre-set election rules under any circumstances including the extraordinary apparently. No word from the same Court on why so many other seemingly more meaningful and actual Constitutional clauses have not been afforded anywhere near the same degree of protection. Pretty unreal.

Post movie the topics briefly ran towards the public inevitably voting Dems on all things going forward. Good or bad, it will create a situation where all branches, including the Executive, will be predominantly Democratic except for arguably the US Supreme Court. It's worth noting that the last time that type of imbalance occured was the post-Clinton stained blue dress era recently experienced. Decide for yourself if that turned out well or not.

NCAA Baseball: Everyone in the Big XII won openers except for Texas. A perfect day.

NHL: Game 4 tonight at the Pen Palace. PIT has been physical, even when being beaten. That might be how PIT wins if they do. It's part of the beauty of a 7 game series, attrition. Attrition is also among the reasons why I'd like to see a return in MLS to some sort of 3-game series at least in the first round.

Deal o' the day: At my local Hy-Vee this morning, there were poker chips. They had some liquor logo on them, side spots and nothing else. There were 8 racks of 30 heavily weighted chips in 4 colors. .50 each rack! 240 chips, 3 decks of cards, and tax was under $6. Unbelievable. I caught myself looking around a bit as I sort felt like I was, you know, stealing or something.

Tiger Woods '08: Played on-line for the first time last night. A buddy and I teamed up to play against someone with about 1100 wins on a course he hosted. We're both not bad, but think Christians v Lions. Eagle, eagle, eagle... Ouch. So much for playing on-line.

Today's G: The Spacestation is getting some new huge parts today. The US is providing the UPS function and the Russian Comrade Cosmonauts are doing the install. Anyone have any idea what they are doing with the Billions up there?

 

I emailed the Front Office and was told that the reserves game would be moved.

 

So it'll be Atlas vs our reserves then.

 

Probably. Sort of disappointing. If they could have that game on Saturday night or maybe Sunday then we'd get to see some starters out there.

 

i'm stoked.

 

Well, Heartland Soccer has lost another referee. Claudia had an opportunity this afternoon to center her first match, a U10 match between Legends & Stars. Unfortunately, I was not there, or I would have probably been arrested for assault. I guess in the 1st half there was some fairly physical play, but according to Paige (who was watching) the "missed calls" that the know-it-all parents (for Legends) were screaming about were actually clean tackles with no foul committed.

The constant berating and screaming by the Legends parents was so bad, Claudia would not center for the 2nd half. These parents, one in particular, were so out of control that when I got there, just after the end of the match, they were still bitching and complaining....one actually had to be threatened to get him to leave the park. I only wish I had been there to confront this little man when the problem began.

I'm not going to get on my soapbox about idiot parents who have watched their little Pele or Mia Hamm for a couple of years and now know everything there is about soccer. These are kids out playing a game, with kids reffing...get over yourselves.

btw, after the game, the Stars coach approached Claudia and apologized for the behavior of the parents, even though it was not the Stars parents that were a problem. I talked with Claudia about how to handle this situation in the future, should she ever decide to center again.

Oh, one more thing. I also put a heavy amount of responsibility on Heartland. They assigned a 13 yr old girl to center her very first time in a premiere match, and did not assign experienced AR to assist her or have a Marshal on hand to overview the match. Very poor job Heartland.

And people constantly complain about the lack of referees for youth soccer....I can't understand why kids wouldn't be lining up for this experience!

 

I hate know it all parents. That definitely falls a lot on Heartland. When I started reffing, I had the referee assigner do the line of my first competitive center just to make sure everything went well. It makes things a lot easier, especially with the age difference so close in that game. Leagues have to do more to protect their younger referees if they want to keep them.

 

was thinking about this while reading the commentary on Hillcrest about the game. It's a pitty we couldn't continue our rivalry that was starting with Santos Laguna back in 01, 02, and 03. We played them in the Copa Merconorte(sp?) back in 01, the CONCACAF Champion's Cup in 02, and then in a friendly in Houston back in 03.

Found these the other week about our friendly against them in 03.
https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-53665.html
https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-59355.html

 

The atlas game is no longer up on ticketmaster, just FYI.