JimH5

I'm a sucker for the Electric Dreams soundtrack. I'm with you, Katuluu. That's good stuff right there. . .I always thought Philip Oakey should have had a better solo career. . . I was on a long flight recently, bored, and unable to sleep. I was flipping through the in-flight entertainment, and I don't know if it was altitude sickness, or being dehydrated, or what, but I settled on: Barry Manilow sings hits of the 70s. It was him largely singing his greatest hits, but there are some other cuts on the album of him doing cover songs from the same era. I must say, it wasn't too bad, and he really could pen a tune or two.

It is just so sad for the families of those who were killed and hurt. . . They are experiencing a pain that thankfully, most of us will never have to. At some point we have to make some significant, impactful changes in our culture so that people can't shoot other people. There are mentally ill people and wicked people, and there will always be. But they don't have to be armed.

You're working a 40 hour weekend? Sheesh. . . I can see why you want to move. . .

Sleeping that long isn't bad. . . It's the stuff you did that so exhausted your body that lead up to the sleeping. . . that was the bad stuff. Every once in awhile you hear about some Japanese guy dying after staying up for 3 days playing videogames. I doubt you were close to death, but when you deny yourself sleep for long periods, then you sleep for long periods.

His stat line from 1978 is very odd. . . A 3.21 ERA over 280.2 IP, just 14 HR allowed and 78 Ks. Hard to fathom a guy today getting 17 complete games in a year with so few strikeouts. And now to 30 years later. . .It's a tragedy that he is incapable of helping himself. Addiction is so powerful. But he seems to remain a danger to society, so he needs to be away from the rest of us.

I would opt to get counsel. . .but not just a buyer's agent. I have bought several times, and have found that I get more bang for the buck from a good real estate attorney. Ideally, you should use both (as an attorney handles the legal contract matters and the buyer's agent is more of an adviser on what to look for in a property, and how to negotiate the deal), and pay the attorney a flat fee to handle the contract stuff. Wisconsin has some odd laws as it relates to buyer's agents, in that if you seek out a house for viewing, and contact the seller's agent yourself, then the seller's agent is entitled to all of the commission. That's NOT the case everywhere, and if you were to have a buyer's agent set up the viewing, then that's when they get paid.

Lots of good posts on this one. I would probably put Pujols at #1, followed by David Wright and Hanley Ramirez.

For those who are interested, I'd like to recommend Ed Randall's Sunday morning baseball show on WFAN, streaming on www.wfan.com It's on Sunday mornings from 8:00 to 11:00. They don't have full podcasts of the show, so you have to stream it live. It's a New York station (Mets flagship), so they'll slant toward Yankees and Mets, but he really does talk about baseball from a national perspective. He has good guests, and asks fairly smart questions. He's a bit of a bootlicker, but it's still a good listen.

He makes a decent point about pitchers being overused and the consequence of such, but I got frustrated with his stupid roller coaster metaphor.

He makes a decent point about pitchers being overused and the consequence of such, but I got frustrated with his stupid roller coaster metaphor.

Is he one of the Pips?

Jason, don't hang your head. . .I'll bet Barry Halper never had a Hammonds gamer in his collection!

"New Yorkers" the term is very misleading. There's a great divide between Yankees fans and Mets fans, Giants fans, Jets fans and Knicks fans. Yankees fans are Mequon. Mets fans are West Allis. I love New York fans, and find the whole Boston group very tiresome.

That's a very clever job title on your last post, RyDogg. . .made me chuckle.

Sorry Jason, I'm going to be a dink on this one. . . I think you're confusing "grade" with "value". The PSA quote that you used was talking specifically about their grading services, in which they offer an opinion on the legitimacy and condition of the signature on the ball. When they grade a signature, that's all they look at (and really, it's all they SHOULD look at). The value of the ball (meaning the price you could get for it) would be higher signed on the sweetspot than signed elsewhere. The same is true for an official MLB ball vs. a little league ball. They might grade out the same from PSA or others (as all they're looking at is the legitimacy and condition of the signature)--but the value would be higher.

Tom Petty was terrific. And why would you actually get angry about their choice for a halftime show? How could that merit such a strong emotional response?

I'm not sure I get your point, jason. . . The PSA note says that sweetspot sigs do tend to sell for a premium in the market. Wouldn't that mean that they sell for more than those signed elsewhere? I have passed on balls signed off the sweetspot, just as I don't think they would look good next to the others that I have signed on the sweetspot. As for the Gallardo ball, I would put it around $50 as well.

When I lived in Florida, I noticed an announcement that Sid Roberson had joined a financial planning firm in Ponte Vedra Beach. That was about 5 years ago. It was the same diminutive lefty from the 1995 team, and a teammate of Iggy.

I have moved a number of times, and from my own experience, I can say that the first time is the hardest. After that, they're all pretty much the same. In 1998, at age 36 my wife and I moved from WI to NJ for her job. She knew her coworkers and people from her company, but I didn't know a soul. It took me getting a new job and developing work relationships to really consider it "home". Even then, it wasn't, as all our family and old friends were still back in WI. In 2001 we moved to Jacksonville, FL, and then in 2005 we moved back to NJ, this time with a little one in tow. Then two weeks ago we all moved to Singapore--again for her work. The problem with moving for work is that there's always one more opportunity 2-3 years down the road, so it's too easy to not develop any roots in the new place. Wherever I have lived, I have considered Wisconsin home, even if we were only there for 2 weeks a year. The other 50 weeks were pretty shallow--by our own doing. That has been a recurring mistake in each of the last two moves, as we didn't really reach out to seek new friends. As this latest move will be a complete culture shock, we're committed to reach out to more people and develop more friendships. You can't live like a hermit all the time, and it will be great to experience this region of the world with others who are (or aren't) more familiar with it than we are. We know that the whole "reaching out to other people" thing is a little uncomfortable at first, but we've got to forge ahead and seek those relationships. I would recommend to anyone to make a move and get out and live in the world, if its Sri Lanka or Cincinnati or Fitchburg. It helps if you've got employment in the new place, or at least some financial stability to help you manage the rough spots. With technology, it's easy to stay connected back home. You can video conference, or call, or send mail back and forth. You can visit new places and try different foods. You can watch the Brewers on MLB Extra Innings, or on the road. Missed holidays are a drag, but you don't have to miss all of them. In any case, if and when you return back home, your life is richer from the experience.

I thought the same thing, jordanmuehl. . .I thought he looked like James JT Taylor from Kool & the Gang, but I don't think that's him. I think JT limited his career to just being with Kool and solo stuff. The other guy looks like Garrett Morris. I'm mad that I don't have this one, as it's pretty much right in my wheelhouse. . .

Is she Russian? She looks like an ice skater or gymnast. . .even though you said "entertainment".

I would first seek employment in the other town, wherever that may be. You may get called for an interview, which would give you a chance to visit the place to see if it could work for you. I'm with gypcasino in making sure your financial house is in order before making the move. I would save enough to make sure you can afford the surprises that come with relocating. And, of course, you could be like Costanza and just "do the opposite".

www.awfulannouncing.com www.firejoemorgan.com www.deadspin.com www.consumerist.com www.sportscollectorsdaily.com http://grg51.typepad.com/ (Steroid Nation) That's a pretty good waste of an hour or so. . .

Thanks PeaveyFury. The Ripken one I got was a stadium giveaway. I gave it away as a gift. Is eBay the preferred marketplace for these? I would still think that if they were a hot item on the East coast, that I'd see them at shows. Maybe they're all around and I've been blind to them.

billyhallfan, I'm not familiar with the term SGA. . .what does that mean?