JoeHova

I used to have a nice Norelco but I must have left it on top of (instead of inside) my locker at the health club one day. Losing a $250 shaver turned me back onto using blades and I've been using Mach 3s happily since then. You tend to get a closer shave with blades anyway (or I do, at least). Blades are annoyingly expensive in bulk but if you lose one, it doesn't really matter. That's not the case with a shaver.

MLEs are not a projection system. They don't claim to be predictive at all.

Signing him seems like an OK move. I would welcome it, assuming there were no guarantees. He probably won't make it back, I wouldn't think, but plenty of guys in AAA probably won't make it.

I'm extremely disappointed by this news. Not because Bradley is the worst coach in the world or anything but because it speaks to the lack of concern US Soccer management has for improving their product. Now was the time to get somebody with a vision to run the program, not just try to hang onto the status quo. Of course, it's possible they don't have the budget to hire somebody good. Bradley made about $500,000 per year on his last deal, which is not close to being on par with what the powerhouse nations pay their coaches. Almost every good team pays their coach at least twice that and the top guys make 8-20 times as much. It's possible, though unlikely, that a good coach would be willing to take a pay cut in order to coach an enormous and wealthy country like the US while hoping for a raise down the line or hoping that he'd be remembered as a legend if he really popularized soccer here. That's not something that can be counted on though. The US will have to pay more if they really want a top tier coach but, judging from the 3rd tier salary they offer, they seem happy to stick with a 3rd tier coach.

If I have to name one, it's probably: GZA- Liquid Swords Also in the mix are: Modern Lovers- Modern Lovers Public Enemy- It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back Nas- Illmatic Velvet Underground- Velvet Underground & Nico Jimmy Cliff/Various- The Harder They Come Mississippi John Hurt- Folk Songs & Blues Neutral Milk Hotel- In The Aeroplane Over The Sea Robert Johnson- The Complete Recordings Okkervil River- Black Sheep Boy

I'd also go with the open roster spot.

Hi everybody- My wife and I were hoping to squeeze in a little camping before the end of the summer, but we've never camped at a Minnesota state park (we usually go back to Wisconsin). Has anybody ever been to one? If so, does anyone have any recommendations for which one we should go to? Preferably one within 2-3 hours of the Twin Cities. We've lived up here for awhile now and decided it's finally time to bite the bullet and try a Minnesota park. If anybody has any tips about the MN park system in general, that would also be interesting. Thanks!

Wow, where do you keep such a huge tortoise? My brother used to try to keep turtles he caught as pets but he would always have to let them go after a week or two because they got restless being in enclosed spaces (even if it was a pen in the yard).

Congratulations to Lisa!

I would say Chelios has had the best career among guys who were in the NHL last season but that Heatley is the best Badger right now.

You think it's somebody that good? I know Haren is signed for a couple years still but Trout is arguably the best prospect in baseball.

I missed a guy. Darin Erstad had 100 RBIs from the leadoff spot (and total) in 2000. Not 100% sure if that's the record.

I think Alfonso Soriano has the record, not Nomar. In 2002, Soriano had 102 RBIs, with 99 of them coming from the leadoff spot. I seem to remember some talk that year about how unusual that was but I don't remember for sure if people said it was the record or not. It seems likely that if guys who are leadoff hitters get off to great starts in terms of power/RBIs, their teams tend to move them down in the order. It happened to Bobby Bonds in 1971. It still could happen with Weeks too.

That is just a really odd move. Yes, Jonny Flynn is a bust but they still have Ramon and should be getting Rubio after next season. Why not let Flynn back up Sessions next year to see if he can salvage his career instead of making a convoluted series of moves that ends with Luke Ridnour as your starter? That said, I like what Minnesota has done in getting Beasley and clearing room for Love. Now they just need to get rid of all the deadweight they have on their roster. Still, in 2011-2012, they should have a core of Love, Rubio and Beasley. That could be an entertaining team. Johnson also has some potential but I'm afraid he'll end up being total garbage like Corey Brewer. They seem kind of similar to me in that both were complementary SFs who were taken in the top 7 despite having no stand-out skills and probably being overrated because they each played for excellent college teams. Johnson could obviously pan out but I'm a little pessimistic about it.

[quote author=RU Rah Rah wrote: [/b]I'm not an NBA GM, but don't you need a decent PG to be able to compete? No. The Lakers have won 2 titles in a row with trash at the point. Chalmers is already better than what they had, plus Wade and LeBron are both among the best passers in the league. Their bigger problem will be a guy who can legitimately play center. I think they're good on the perimeter, especially if Mike Miller joins the team. No team has any combination of perimeter players anywhere close to LeBron, Wade, Miller and Chalmers. Even if they add the worst guard in the NBA (Jennaro Pargo? Royal Ivey?) to fill out the rotation they are still way ahead on any other team. If they get a competent player like Jason Williams or Carlos Arroyo instead, that would be excellent. As for big men, Joel Anthony is horrible and useless and I hope he leaves. That would leave the Heat with just Bosh and their 2 2nd round bigs, Dexter Pittman and Jarvis Varnado. I'm actually pretty high on both of those guys but it's a tall order to expect a 2nd round big man to be able to contribute much in his rookie year. Ben Wallace would probably be the ideal pickup but I don't know if he would be interested in Miami or in taking the minimum. If not him, Kurt Thomas or perhaps even Kwame Brown would a nice pickup. Udonis Haslem is undersized and would likely eat up the Heat's 2011 MLE but he wouldn't be necessarily be a horrible option either. Really, if the Heat come out of this somehow with Miller, Arroyo, Williams, Wallace, Haslem, and Thomas to go with the big 3 and Chalmers, they won't lose 5 games. Miller is rumored to be happening. Wallace and Haslem probably aren't too likely but the other guys could happen (they've all played for the Heat before and are likely looking at near minimum deals wherever they sign).

Speaking of max contracts, it's crazy to think about what these guys would be getting if those didn't exist. Durant would probably be looking at an A-Rod type of extension and LeBron would be getting at least $40 million a year, imo. Wade would be getting somewhat less because he's older but it would still be well over the approximately $22 million per year he's looking at now. The owners are giving scrubs like Joe Johnson $20 million per, it would be crazy to see what they would give actual great players in an unrestricted market (I'm not advocating getting rid of max deals, I just think it's interesting to think about).

Durant's deal is a steal but every great young player's extension has been a steal since the NBA instituted max contracts. LeBron, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade, etc. Also, yes, Boozer is that much better than Gooden. Gooden is an essentially average player whereas Boozer is a top echelon player. It's a little like comparing Yovani to Dave Bush. Bush and Gooden are each nice to have around but Yovani and Boozer are guys that will dramatically improve your team.

Is that usually very difficult? I set mine up several years ago and haven't had to think about it since except to dig out the password when I add a new computer. Maybe mine is low tech or something but it seemed easier than setting up a wired network because I didn't have to run any cables around the house to the various computers.

However if you really don't want a Mac, I'll list a few options that Consumer Reports likes (although not as much as they like the Macs). If you are looking for a smaller laptop, they like the Toshiba Satellite T135-S1305 best among non-Macs. It's a 13.3 inch screen and it costs $470. It weighs 3.7 pounds. However, that one doesn't have a disc drive. The next best small laptop is an inexplicably expensive ($1800) HP Envy but after that is the Alienware M11X which has an 11.6" screen, weighs 4.4 pounds and costs $800 but also has no disc drive. The next one does have a disc drive, it's the Toshiba Satellite U505-S2970 which costs $710, has a 13.3 inch screen and weighs 4.9 pounds. If you are looking for a medium sized laptop, they like the Gateway NV59C09U (15.6", $700, 5.4 pounds) and the Dell Studio 15 1558 (15.6" $975, 5.7 pounds) best among non-Macs. For larger laptops, they like the HP Pavilion DV7-4060 US (17.3", $890, 7.2 pounds) and the Dell Studio 17 1749 (17.3", $965, 7.3 pounds) best among non-Macs.

I know you said they're out of the question but Macs really are the way to go. A person who knows a little about computers can learn how to use them in 5-10 minutes. I'm not sure how long it would take a computer-illiterate person to pick it up but surely much shorter than it would take for them to become familiar with a Windows machine. I personally much prefer Macs for their much better reliability and much lower maintenance. Really, I would recommend a Mac to anybody buying a computer, not because they are perfect or anything but because Microsoft just doesn't care abut usability or ergonomics.

Yup. Inexplicable.

The Mariners are probably too far out for this trade to make much of a difference but at least Mariners fans won't have to watch Casey Kotchman anymore. In that context, Russ is worth far more than what Seattle gave up for him.

Sweet! Lazar Hayward just went in the 1st round!

That little clip of Daniel Orton's media day outtakes made me like him a lot more. Hopefully he's better in the NBA than he was in college.

Best day of the year.