A fashion board in which sometimes we'll remember to post spoiler warnings

[taxwonk]

Originally Posted by ThurgreedMarshall

Like my mother can be trained.

TM

Bitch.

[Hank Chinaski]

Originally Posted by Flinty_McFlint

Oh, aren't you just the cleverest thing! If you try real hard and pay even less attention to grammar, spelling or content, I bet you could push right through the 69,000 post barrier! Go, man, go!

wow! I'm seldom seen such a rare blend of flat out ignorance, dull wits and whiffing. the boundaries between blur.

[Flinty_McFlint]

Originally Posted by Hank Chinaski

wow! I'm seldom seen such a rare blend of flat out ignorance, dull wits and whiffing. the boundaries between blur.

Fairly good deflection for you. Not great. Perhaps take another couple hours to get the old mojo going and try again. I do like that you're trying though. Perhaps confer with dtb a little, do some googling and maybe ask your kids for help.

[Hank Chinaski]

Originally Posted by Flinty_McFlint

Fairly good deflection for you. Not great. Perhaps take another couple hours to get the old mojo going and try again. I do like that you're trying though. Perhaps confer with dtb a little, do some googling and maybe ask your kids for help.

people like you are scaring fringey from coming back. i hope you're proud.

[cheval de frise]

Originally Posted by dtb

Come on, man. You're better than this.


(Hi Hankie!! xoxoxo)

You would almost think Hank has batteries.

CDF

[Greedy,Greedy,Greedy]

Does anyone but dtb feel the pain of the TARP wife?

[ThurgreedMarshall]

1. Lebron James is ridiculous. I have never seen anything like it. If he gets 50% of Jordan's killer instinct and 30% of Jordan's confidence that he will hit the game winning shot, he will be the greatest basketball player ever.

2. Goddell's most recent statement about Michael Vick (essentially: "He can come back if he shows remorse") is insanity. The guy was kicked out of the league, stripped of every endorsement, convicted and sent to jail. He has served his time and surely hasn't been out there saying he'd do it again. Now I understand this is an emotional issue, but let's step back here for a second. Players have beat the shit out of their wives and girlfriends, been busted and sent to jail for participating in massive drug trafficking schemes and assaulted people half their size. None of these players, after having escaped punishment or served their time, have been required to show remorse. The NFL can make up whatever rules it wants, of course. There is no right to play on one of their teams. And Michael Vick is clearly a jackass. But I think this whole thing is nuts, especially this latest league requirement.

TM

[Hank Chinaski]

Originally Posted by ThurgreedMarshall

1. Lebron James is ridiculous.
TM

I saw 2 games in China- US v. Australia and v. China.

In both there was a play early on where the other team made a longish high pass. James came from the other side of the court, rose too high and snatched it. It was the kind of play that TV can't show, because you have to appreciate where he came from to do it (that is often true I think of defensive plays made off the ball) and was most impressive live.

The thing was, after the play, both the Chinese and Aussies had this noticeable resignation, like "how do we practice or account for that?

[ThurgreedMarshall]

Originally Posted by Hank Chinaski

I shaw 2 games in China- US v. Australia and v. China.

In both there was a play early on where the other team made a longish high pass. James came from the other side of the court, rose too high and snatched it. It was the kind of play that TV can't show, because you have to appreciate where he came from to do it (that is often true I think of defensive plays made off the ball) and was most impressive live.

The thing was, after the play, both the Chinese and Aussies had this noticeable resignation, like "how do we practice or account for that?

I assume you watched the game last night. I forget who on Detroit tried to tackle him, but he used both arms and grabbed his shoulder when Lebron was on the way to the basket. Lebron barely moved. The guy isn't human. He's 6' 9" on the internet and real life, easily 270-280 pounds, strong as an ox, can jump out of the gym, has a guard's first step and handle, can finish (and I just saw, pass) easily with either hand, has great basketball intelligence and is developing quite a jumper. He can defend your smallest guard and almost any big man. If you're quicker than him (which is rare), you're so small that he can jump right over you or post you up with ease. If you're big enough to bother him in the post (which is rare), he will bring you outside and either shoot over you or go right around you. He is impossible to defend. And when he sets his mind to taking it to the basket, there is no alternative but to foul him. None.

Can you imagine what he would do as a tight end in the NFL? Good Lord. He's a complete freak.

TM

(And now that I've said all of this, there is no way he makes it to the Knicks in 2010. But I'll settle for Wade.)

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Originally Posted by ThurgreedMarshall

2. Goddell's most recent statement about Michael Vick (essentially: "He can come back if he shows remorse") is insanity. The guy was kicked out of the league, stripped of every endorsement, convicted and sent to jail. He has served his time and surely hasn't been out there saying he'd do it again. Now I understand this is an emotional issue, but let's step back here for a second. Players have beat the shit out of their wives and girlfriends, been busted and sent to jail for participating in massive drug trafficking schemes and assaulted people half their size. None of these players, after having escaped punishment or served their time, have been required to show remorse. The NFL can make up whatever rules it wants, of course. There is no right to play on one of their teams. And Michael Vick is clearly a jackass. But I think this whole thing is nuts, especially this latest league requirement.

There may be no right to play on an NFL team, but 32 teams jointly act through the league to decide who can and cannot play would -- one might think -- raise some sort of antitrust flag. Presumably the justification for the league is that for the health of the enterprise as a whole, it needs to set some standards, or there will be a race to the bottom by the teams, and the entertainment value of the product as a whole will suffer. I don't see why it's the place of the league to punish Vick, per se -- that's the job of the criminal justice system. But the league will suffer if it's seen to welcome back an unrehabilitated criminal, and it seems legit to let it protect itself in that regard. Perhaps that's a fine line?

[Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)]

Originally Posted by ThurgreedMarshall

And Michael Vick is clearly a jackass. But I think this whole thing is nuts, especially this latest league requirement.

TM

No disagreements there, but isn't it more likely marketing and posturing? The league has to say "we don't want bad people/dog killers" so they don't piss off those fans, but then has the out of being able to say "he's shown remorse" so we can let him play. And, it gives them the out that if he fucks up again (hi, Pacman!), they can boot him and say he didn't really change after all.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Originally Posted by ThurgreedMarshall

I assume you watched the game last night. I forget who on Detroit tried to tackle him, but he used both arms and grabbed his shoulder when Lebron was on the way to the basket. Lebron barely moved. The guy isn't human. He's 6' 9" on the internet and real life, easily 270-280 pounds, strong as an ox, can jump out of the gym, has a guard's first step and handle, can finish (and I just saw, pass) easily with either hand, has great basketball intelligence and is developing quite a jumper. He can defend your smallest guard and almost any big man. If you're quicker than him (which is rare), you're so small that he can jump right over you or post you up with ease. If you're big enough to bother him in the post (which is rare), he will bring you outside and either shoot over you or go right around you. He is impossible to defend. And when he sets his mind to taking it to the basket, there is no alternative but to foul him. None.

Can you imagine what he would do as a tight end in the NFL? Good Lord. He's a complete freak.

TM

(And now that I've said all of this, there is no way he makes it to the Knicks in 2010. But I'll settle for Wade.)

Paul Pierce does a pretty good job on him defensively, but it wears him out so much that he doesn't have much left on the other end of the court. If the Celtics' season weren't already de facto over because of injuries, they'd really be missing James Posey, because he and Pierce could take turns.

Which is not to say that James isn't sick.

[Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)]

Originally Posted by Tyrone Slothrop

There may be no right to play on an NFL team, but 32 teams jointly act through the league to decide who can and cannot play would -- one might think -- raise some sort of antitrust flag.

That's why they have a collective bargaining agreement with the players' union. Ask Maurice Clarett about that.

[Did you just call me Coltrane?]

Originally Posted by ThurgreedMarshall

I assume you watched the game last night. I forget who on Detroit tried to tackle him, but he used both arms and grabbed his shoulder when Lebron was on the way to the basket. Lebron barely moved. The guy isn't human. He's 6' 9" on the internet and real life, easily 270-280 pounds, strong as an ox, can jump out of the gym, has a guard's first step and handle, can finish (and I just saw, pass) easily with either hand, has great basketball intelligence and is developing quite a jumper. He can defend your smallest guard and almost any big man. If you're quicker than him (which is rare), you're so small that he can jump right over you or post you up with ease. If you're big enough to bother him in the post (which is rare), he will bring you outside and either shoot over you or go right around you. He is impossible to defend. And when he sets his mind to taking it to the basket, there is no alternative but to foul him. None.

Can you imagine what he would do as a tight end in the NFL? Good Lord. He's a complete freak.

TM

(And now that I've said all of this, there is no way he makes it to the Knicks in 2010. But I'll settle for Wade.)

All of of this is true.

But the one thing he is not is graceful. Besides the talent, will, drive, jumping ability, etc of MJ, it was how everything he did flowed. It was almost artistic. LeBron is all power, no grace. It's not a knock on him; it's just that he doesn't look as pretty playing the game as MJ.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLpSKXr1kWw

[ThurgreedMarshall]

Originally Posted by Tyrone Slothrop

There may be no right to play on an NFL team, but 32 teams jointly act through the league to decide who can and cannot play would -- one might think -- raise some sort of antitrust flag. Presumably the justification for the league is that for the health of the enterprise as a whole, it needs to set some standards, or there will be a race to the bottom by the teams, and the entertainment value of the product as a whole will suffer. I don't see why it's the place of the league to punish Vick, per se -- that's the job of the criminal justice system. But the league will suffer if it's seen to welcome back an unrehabilitated criminal, and it seems legit to let it protect itself in that regard. Perhaps that's a fine line?

I don't disagree (and I think there is an antitrust problem with almost every major sport, but will defer to you on that point*). I just find it sickening that they take this hard line stance with him when the other players in the examples I mentioned walk back into the league without so much as a flinch from the commissioner.

My complaint may be more appropriately aimed at the society in which we live for weighing his crime heavier than others (like domestic violence, a very serious human problem). I just think it's ridiculous and Goddell's strongly principled words ring empty when taken in the full context of what the league deems troublesome. Long story short: "If it affects revenue, you better damn well be publicly sorry. If it doesn't, we don't really give a fuck."

TM

*(And I realize baseball has an exemption.)