Middle Buffalo

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Oct 31, 2014 -> 12:02 PM) Does MLB have a minority interview rule like the NFL does with the Rooney rule? I think Maddon qualifies as a minority by age.

I don't think I've had 100,000 thoughts since I joined (one month before Balta).

QUOTE (Brian @ Oct 21, 2014 -> 03:37 AM) I don't know about that. Maybe didn't want to talk about or answer questions about what happened in locker room after the game. I'm so sick of every game (win or loss) being about cutler. If they win and he plays well, it's "yeah, but still..." from his detractors. If they lose, it's "see, I told you...." I'm not sure why certain guys are such lightning rods. That said, it's inexcusable that he skipped his show on espn1000. Equally bad that waddle and Silvy didn't explain the reason why. It shows a lack of accountability and lack of leadership from cutler. I know it wouldn't have been an easy show, but jay should have appeared on it. I can excuse on field failures because there's often much more to a QB making mistakes than we can see. A interception can be a bad read by the QB, a missed block, a bad pattern by the wr, or a combination of so many things. We focus on the qb. However, the failure to show up and be a leader and be accountable can only be jay's fault.

QUOTE (Soxbadger @ Oct 9, 2014 -> 02:45 PM) (Sutton) went to the same school as Burfict, another guy who kind of got looked over for some reason. Burfict was a discipline risk (anger issues, I believe) who ran a 5.1/40.

Here's how tech saavy I am - I don't even understand he problem. Just throw out your computer.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Sep 18, 2014 -> 05:39 PM) Don't ever accuse the Scots of giving less than 110%.

QUOTE (SoxAce @ Sep 13, 2014 -> 05:19 PM) Yea usually I'm very pro spanking, but at 4 years old?! That is just awful and this comming from someone who was spanked alot. My parents found anything they could find to spank me when I was bad at the time. I was older than 4 freaking years old though. So, I see/have heard this pro-spanking POV several times in the last few days (Wilbon, Barkley, Ditka). Each time the person did not condone Peterson's act, but they said that spanking was common when they were growing up as a form of discipline. I understand that they look at themselves now and see that they turned out ok, so there must be value in that form of discipline. I wonder, though, why they don't see the inconsistency. If spanking is an effective form of discipline, why does the person doling out the discipline have to do it more than once. Shouldn't one spanking be an effective deterrent to future bad behavior?

So U2's latest album is free on iTunes. One listen through and nothing stands out (maybe the first song is the strongest single). Sometimes it takes a few listens, but it mostly sounds like something that would be in the background in a movie.

In all the outrage over this Rice situation, I haven't heard one person wonder whether or not he would be accepted in the locker room. Last fall, with the Riley Cooper racism video release, that was a real talking point. It's odd to consider what is and is not acceptable behavior according to NFL players.

Waddle & Silvy asked Ditka about the Redskins on Thursday. Ditka's opinion on the matter didn't sound any less dumb a couple of weeks later. Old white guys should just learn to stop commenting on race. They're never able to make the point without sounding bad.

Had a draft last night. Started an hour late because a guy was traveling for work. I'm ok with that. But what's with guys taking three minutes to take a pick? It literally takes me fifteen seconds. Narrow your options as your turn approaches. Eliminate names as they're picked and make your choice immediately. It's not a life/death decision. Draft took almost 3.5 hours - plus the hour delay. Oh, and ther were a few of us doing it online while the rest gathered at a friend's house. I logged into the draft room twenty minutes before he draft. Five hours total time spent.

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Aug 28, 2014 -> 07:55 AM) Jurko sucks but I like Waddle. I think my biggest problem with them (and most hosts) is that they don't follow all of the teams very closely. Waddle doesn't follow hockey, baseball or college sports. Jurko doesn't follow nba, baseball or college (sometimes watches NCAAF). So, basically it's Bears 24/7 and uninformed conjecture on the rest. At least they're not bitter like B&B, but is it too much to expect them to casually watch some of the other stuff?

QUOTE (winninguglyin83 @ Aug 21, 2014 -> 04:20 PM) wanted Beckham to succeed. thought he would succeed. waited for him to succeed. Never happened. Could never hit the high fastball -- and never learned to lay off it. Didn't matter whether it was Walker, Manto or Steverson, he kept flailing and missing. Wish him the best, except against the White Sox. I thought he was the next Paul Molitor. I was wrong.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Aug 20, 2014 -> 07:32 AM) This moment is taylor-made for the Score. This has full phone lines written all over it. It's especially good fodder for the Score because Ditka is an ESPN personality. It would be more interesting to bring up the topic on ESPN 1000 and see how they handle/run from it.

QUOTE (IlliniKrush @ Aug 14, 2014 -> 09:02 PM) ...or his bulls*** TWTW. TWTW is just another way of saying someone "refuses to lose." It's been said countless times about guys like Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson ( or fill in the blank) as a way to illustrate that they had something that set them apart from everyone else. Something that made them "winners." I'm not sure why Hawk gets so much heat for TWTW. It's not exactly a new idea. I'm no longer much of a Hawk fan, but I don't think this latest controversy is really much. I'm more offended/embarrassed by the over the top homerism. His evaluations of the Sox are largely useless as a result of trying to sell the product. I'd welcome a little more honesty in that area.

QUOTE (ptatc @ Jun 12, 2014 -> 09:11 AM) While I do think there are problems here, this is the best statement about the USA. With freedom comes problems. The more control anyone including the government has over your life, the less freedom you have. People have the freedom to be violent and morons. I don't like it, but they are free to choose. So places with less freedoms have fewer problems?

QUOTE (Chilihead90 @ Jun 2, 2014 -> 10:39 PM) And then of course the tip-in that was, in fact, above the crossbar..... Would have been nice to see a freeze frame of that on TV last night. I guess the league probably frowns on that though to avoid second guessing during the game. "Stop it right there...."

Back to attendance - it's all about season tickets. I just watched the highlights of the Yankees game tonight. Announced attendance was 41000+ (85 percent of capacity according to mlb.com). No way there was more than 32000 there (approx 65 percent of capacity). It would be interesting to know the season ticket numbers for all of the teams. I bet actual attendance doesn't go much over the season ticket numbers on most days because of the secondary ticket market.

QUOTE (flavum @ Jun 1, 2014 -> 03:43 PM) RIP Ann B. Davis Off to the Meat Cutter's Ball in the sky no doubt. RIP Alice.

QUOTE (The Ultimate Champion @ May 30, 2014 -> 04:04 PM) BTW is BlackJack anyone else's least favorite former great Sox player? He was the heart of the sox in the early 90s, so I'll give him a pass for being a dick.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ May 30, 2014 -> 07:55 PM) That's what I saw too. For once it wasn't Shaws fault. Seemed obvious. I'm pretty sure shaw put himself in position to make contact with quick, but he was clearly pushed.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ May 24, 2014 -> 08:40 AM) YES! YES! HELL YES! Hawk is awesome. Haters suck. Hawk's home run call doesn't need the extra flourish he sometimes gives. It always sounds strained. Otherwise, still classic.

QUOTE (Middle Buffalo @ Apr 28, 2014 -> 06:32 PM) And Simmons has known for years. I listen to his podcast and he's talked about Sterling several times. He hasn't done it yet, but expect a column or podcast soon where he takes the moral high ground now. Also, it's not like there's only one team in LA and is forced to be a clippers tix holder to see games. As far as this turning into the filibuster, it's an nba thread, and like it or not, this is the big story in the nba right now. http://grantland.com/features/sterlings-fold/

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Apr 28, 2014 -> 06:09 PM) Because it's been known for decades that Sterling is a racist, and he bought the tix for Lob City anyway. And Simmons has known for years. I listen to his podcast and he's talked about Sterling several times. He hasn't done it yet, but expect a column or podcast soon where he takes the moral high ground now. Also, it's not like there's only one team in LA and is forced to be a clippers tix holder to see games. As far as this turning into the filibuster, it's an nba thread, and like it or not, this is the big story in the nba right now.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Apr 28, 2014 -> 11:19 AM) The whole thing is pretty disgusting but anyone that thinks Sterling is the only owner in pro sports that feels that way is delusional. He is an old bigot that will never change. Something humorous that I saw on ESPN was Chris Broussard up in arms over what Sterling said. Broussard should understand how Sterling feels. He hates gay people for no apparent reason. What a hypocrite that clown is. I started but ultimately didn't post Donald Sterling thread to point out the hypocrisy of the commentators. There's Broussard, as noted above. Magic Jonnson is not someone whose moral compass is one that I would follow. Jalen Rose had the Uncle Tom thing regarding black players going to duke, yet is offended by Donald Sterling's racism. And, Bill Simmons is a season ticket holder for the Clippers, yet is offended by the owner. Anyway, Sterling is a scumbag, and the league should do what mlb did with George Steinbrenner and strip him of his ability to be involved (at the very least). If possible, the nba should try to force him to sell.&