Fatter than Joey

Love the free breadsticks, yum! I think they quit doing this -- at least that was my last experience.

To answer your question Hammer -- we put a fiber optic angel thing on the top. Its sits on the tree like a hat.

but yikes...I'm not sure I can do this. I sat through a concert of.... Garth Brooks Travis Tritt Laurie Morgan Suzie Bogus for my wife. Nickelback can't be worse than what I endured.

I think the worst thing I ever had was the "Bigfoot" from Pizza Hut 10 or so years ago. One bite and my insides were twisting. I did eat the whole thing though, it just took a lot longer than normal.

Why would you buy an artificial tree in the first place? Bringing in a tree was the most unholy event in the FtJ household. I was good for about 95% of my yearly f-bombs in the 1-2 hrs it took to set up the tree. I seriously attempted to throw a tree out our picture window right in front of my kids one year. Throwing trees is actually sort of tricky. I was seriously thinking about converting to a religion that didn't worship Christmas trees at one point. Fake Christmas trees have probably rescued my salvation.

Take up snowmobiling.....You'll love the winter then I have often thought shooting snowmobilers would be both challenging and fun.

I don't see the Brewers going and spending a lot on 3b (either via prospects in a trade or dollars in free agency) if they recognize Gamel as the future at the position, which I really think they do. I don't think that there is any indication that Gamel is ready to play 3b yet.

If all it takes is a 2 year deal to get Sheets and he isn't in Milwaukee next season that will be very, very sad Some team will give Sheets 2-3 years.

Say the Brewers offer 6 million for 2009, with an extra weight incentive of 1.5 if he comes in under 260lbs. Can they do that?? No. I think the arbitrator picks one or the other offer. Once it goes to a hearing there is no meeting in the middle. I might be wrong but that's my understanding. Correct Fielder won't crack $8 million IMO I think Fielder should get $7-8M.

Am I the only one who didn't really notice the apparently abnormal snowfall last winter? Seemed like just another winter to me, for the most part. I'll have one of what he had last winter

The Tempts still tour -- Otis Williams is the only original member still alive. A lot of them died after collaborating with Hall & Oates,

FTJ, people did like Rizzuto - myself included. If they had put him in as an announcer, I think it would have been great, his inclusion as a player was a major reach. I agree Rizzuto was a stretch -- The VC however could consider other aspects other than their contributions as a player. In either case, Rizzuto was not voted in by the BBWA which is what this thread is centered around. Herb Pennock played for both the Red Sox and Yankees for a long, long time. Pennock is questionable as well -- he was inducted in the 1940s though

Dunn in left, Cameron in center, Hart in right Braun-Hardy-Weeks-Fielder in the infield I think if a pitcher ever went to hell, this would be his defense when he took the mound. Jeff Suppan would give up 10 runs a game with this abomination of a defense. Dude... Clancyphile... Braun is never ever ever ever playing 3rd again.

My favorites -- In no order 1. Sunny in Philly 2. Curb your Enthusiasm 3. Cheers 4. WKRP 5. All in the Family 6. The Office 7. Extras 8. South Park 9. Family Guy 10. Robot Chicken

If Raines and Blyleven would have been Red Sox or Yankees in their prime they would be locks. Disagree -- If Rizzuto was the announcer for the Cardinals for the last 40 years (and had the playing career that he did), he probably would have gotten in. I think people really liked Rizzuto.

Catfish Hunter -- maybe -- I never liked his induction -- of course he racked up a lot of wins for Oakland, and pitched in a lot of post-seasons. Did he get in because he had one 20 win season for the Yankees? -- I think if he had pitched in Oakland in 1975 and 1976, the same people would have still voted for him. I would chalk Catfish's induction up to more of an overvaluing of wins, than Yankee bias. Rizzuto -- of course you know he wasn't voted in by the BBWA. He never got over 45%. He was inducted by the VC about 40 years after his retirement, and was probably in consideration for his 40 years of announcing and playing. I still think that the HOF voting is skewed to Yankees and Red Sox is largely a myth that just keeps getting repeated.

If Raines and Blyleven would have been Red Sox or Yankees in their prime they would be locks. Can anyone show me, where being a Yankee or Red Sox has actually helped a player in getting elected to the HOF? People keep saying this, but where is the merit behind it?... If it were in fact true -- guys like Mattingly, Guidry, Nettles, Munson, Rice, Evans, Lynn, etc... would all be in the HOF now.

that and the salary issues as well... No team wants to have middle RPs making more than their closer.

I wonder why Hanshin would want him. Just to screw with Chunichi

I think we continually trip over the save stat/closer label -- I think the thing to try to assess -- is "who is the better BP arm", Lidge or Torres -- If they are both entering games in high leverage situations. Upgrading a BP arm to be used in high leverage situations is probably going to net you some wins, I don't think that there is any doubt about that, of course the caveat though is ensuring that the "upgrade arm" is used in the right spots. I seem to recall, that upgrading a league average 1b, (e.g. Mike Jacobs) to Ryan Howard the year he won the MVP, was like a 4 win upgrade. I am pretty sure if a manager used his best arms in the highest leverage situations they could swing 4 wins a season pretty easily. For arguments sake, let's say that Brad Lidge is the best BP arm available -- if a manager used him 70 times a season in the highest leveraged places instead of a Brian Shouse (like Yost used him, not as an exclusive LOOGY), or Mota, I would bet you could get 4-5 wins -- at least until the actual scenarios unfolded. If used correctly, I'd gladly pay $10M for a BP stud, if I was ensured he'd not be used in the "by the book" manner. Part of me wonders if teams are hanging on to the whole "save scenario" for marketing reasons. I think teams like a fireballer coming in the 9th to K three guys even though the team has a 2-3 run lead. Brian Shouse "holding down the fort" isn't as exciting as ending the game on 3 K's. I think teams like the fans leaving the game on a high. EDIT: A team having a closer is sort of like the WWF that has the finisher move, to end the match -- same sort of fan reaction.

Jack Morris was the dominant right handed pitcher in the American League in the 1980s. Enough said. But then he continued to play well into the early 1990s also. He was one of the most feared hurlers of all AL hitters. Hall of Fame is supposed to equal best player during the time period of your career. Jack was that. No he wasn't... Jack Morris only accumulated the most wins from the arbitrarily created era of 1980-1989 -- which is a fine thing, but to say he was the most dominating pitcher in the 80s is far from true. Once Clemens hit the scene in full effect in 1986, he was the most dominating pitcher. Before 1986, Morris was outpitched by guys like Saberhagen, Hoyt, Stieb, Blyleven, Mike Witt, etc... Morris was a very good pitcher who racked up a lot of wins playing for the Sparky Anderson Tigers. As a side note, I hate it when players/pitchers get props for "having the most wins in the 1980s" -- when really it is a function of starting your career in 1979 rather than mid-decade like most players end up doing.

I request a HOF trial for Ned Yost... as a player -- not as a manager...I request a criminal trial for Yost as a manager.

Neither Orosco or Plesac should come close to making the HOF.

Rickey Henderson for me -- and that's probably about it.

I'm pretty sure the answer is "no", and they can be traded at any time. That's how recent articles have made it seem. Unless they are 10 and 5ers.