Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

It’s always darkest before the other shoe drops.

Republicans firmly believe having an abortion is a very personal, very private decision between a woman and J.D. Vance.

Speaking of republicans, is there a way for a political party to declare intellectual bankruptcy?

Republican also-rans: four mules fighting over a turnip.

Dear media: perhaps we ought to let Donald Trump speak for himself!

Radicalized white males who support Trump are pitching a tent in the abyss.

We still have time to mess this up!

These days, even the boring Republicans are nuts.

Our messy unity will be our strength.

He wakes up lying, and he lies all day.

That’s my take and I am available for criticism at this time.

He really is that stupid.

We’ve had enough carrots to last a lifetime. break out the sticks.

Stop using mental illness to avoid talking about armed white supremacy.

You cannot shame the shameless.

Those who are easily outraged are easily manipulated.

the 10% who apparently lack object permanence

Give the craziest people you know everything they want and hope they don’t ask for more? Great plan.

It’s a good piece. click on over. but then come back!!

I desperately hope that, yet again, i am wrong.

“Jesus paying for the sins of everyone is an insult to those who paid for their own sins.”

“But what about the lurkers?”

Washington Post Catch and Kill, not noticeably better than the Enquirer’s.

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / A Little Birdy Told Me

Reader Interactions

205Comments

  5. 5.

    raven

    Happy Birthday, I hope you will grace us with your presence for the World Cup. This place has turned to shit as far as sports goes. They are more interested in printer reviews and Bhen-fucking-gahzi.

  6. 6.

    Elizabelle

    75th? Is that a joke? Happy birthday Randinho.

    Have little birdies or anyone else succeeded in freeing JCole’s Subaru from the retired farmer’s land?

  7. 7.

    The Dangerman

    The Steelers making the playoffs? Shit, could have picked up a few dollars with a prop bet on that one a few months ago.

  10. 10.

    Comrade Mary

    Happy 75th, Randinho!

    /bounces birthday cake off head

    (So my baking skills need some work …)

  12. 12.

    geg6

    Happy birthday, Randinho! I don’t know why I thought you were in your late 20s/early 30s. Probably because all the rabid football (well, I’m American, so it’s soccer to me) fans I know are that age.

    Hope you had/have a wonderful day!

  16. 16.

    The Dangerman

    @efgoldman:

    The Chiefs are already playing second stringers, they could put in the third string.

    Chargers look like they are going to battle the Dolphins in “Beach Cities That Shit The Bed” Bowl.

  17. 17.

    Roger Moore

    @raven:
    As a lifetime Broncos fan, I’m obviously pleased with the day so far. Setting records and running up the score is always more enjoyable when it’s against the Raiders.

  20. 20.

    Villago Delenda Est

    Happy Birthday, and Benghazi was DEFINITELY an Al Qaeda operation, or at least the revenge of the Ottoman Empire, at the very least. Also. Too.

  24. 24.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    @Roger Moore: Being that two(not one, but two) NFL teams left the Los Angeles area in ONE year; I have no interest in said NFL. I’ll admit having a soft spot for the SeaWeeds until they hired cheaty petey as their coach.

  28. 28.

    raven

    The last game took place during a downpour at Soldier Field on July 23, 1976. Despite featuring stars such as Chuck Muncie, Mike Pruitt, Lee Roy Selmon and Jackie Slater, the all-stars were hopelessly outmatched by the Pittsburgh Steelers, winners of Super Bowl X. The star quarterback for the College All-Stars was Pittsburgh Steeler draft pick Mike Kruczek. Late in the third quarter, with the Steelers leading 24-0, high winds prompted all-star coach Ara Parseghian to call time out. Fans began pouring out onto the field and sliding on the turf. With the rain getting harder, the officials ordered both teams to their locker rooms. All attempts to clear the field failed; the fans even tore down the goalposts. However, by this time the rain had become so heavy as to make the field unplayable even if order had been restored. Finally, at 11:01 pm NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle and the Tribune announced that the game had been called. The news was greeted with jeers, and numerous brawls broke out on the flooded field before order was finally restored. Joe Washington of Oklahoma was selected MVP of this final College All-Star game.

  31. 31.

    burnspbesq

    Happy birthday, Randinho.

    Anybody want to talk Ashes cricket? Oh, wait, there is no Ashes cricket today, because England folded ingnominiously yesterday.

    And yes, Jose Mourinho, that was a penalty. Liverpool was fucked twice in four days by the officials, and as a result, they are behind Everton at the midway point of the season. Would not want to mistakenly wander into the wrong neighborhood wearing blue right about now.

  34. 34.

    JCJ

    @burnspbesq:

    You say that like being behind Everton is a bad thing. Actually, after Everton lost to Sunderland on Boxing Day I am pretty sure a collapse is just around the corner.

  37. 37.

    Amir Khalid

    @burnspbesq:

    Liverpool was fucked twice in four days by the officials, and as a result, they are behind Everton at the midway point of the season.

    That just makes me sad.

  41. 41.

    Tommy

    Took a late afternoon nap and just headed to ESPN. Kind of wonder how Mike Shanahan still has a job. I think it is time Washington lets HBO’s Hard Knocks into training camp next year so we can all see how totally dysfunctional my team is.

  44. 44.

    KG

    Two football thoughts… I can’t believe it’s been almost 20 years since the NFL has had a team in the LA market. The NFC is making a case for expanding the playoffs to eight teams at the same time the AFC is making a case to reduce it to four teams

  45. 45.

    Tommy

    Redskins. I mean you know you got problems when a lot of folks and even newspapers won’t even print their name.

  51. 51.

    Tommy

    @Corner Stone: St. Louis would be my “second” team since that is where I grew up and now live, but became a Redskins fan cause after college I lived in DC for 15 years and my team moved to well AZ.

  54. 54.

    Tommy

    @Baud: I was in grad school at LSU in the early 90s and went to a few Saint games. I hear folks talk about the 12th man for the Seahawks, but the Superdome was about the loudest place I’ve ever been and I’ve been to a lot of sporting events.

  55. 55.

    KG

    @Baud: if Green Bay holds on and Dallas wins tonight, the Aints will get to play Dallas. That’s a winnable game. Then they’d have to go to Seattle. That’s going to suck. Actually, the fact that both road teams in the first round are going to have better records than the home teams is kinda bullshit

  56. 56.

    rikyrah

    GOP ‘confronting a new reality’ on healthcare
    12/27/13 09:30 AM—Updated 12/27/13 11:42 AM
    By Steve Benen

    The Obama administration won’t have an official announcement on December’s health care enrollment numbers for a few more weeks, but chances are good that we’ll see a spike in the number of newly enrollment Americans. At the end of November, the Affordable Care Act had helped bring coverage to about 1.2 million people; by the end of this month, that total will include millions more.

    And with each new enrollment, it slowly dawns on congressional Republicans that the larger calculus has changed in fundamental ways. Jonathan Weisman reported overnight that GOP policymakers are “confronting a new reality.”

    The enrollment figures may be well short of what the Obama administration had hoped for. But the fact that a significant number of Americans are now benefiting from the program is resulting in a subtle shift among Republicans.

    “It’s no longer just a piece of paper that you can repeal and it goes away,” said Senator Ron Johnson, Republican of Wisconsin and a Tea Party favorite. “There’s something there. We have to recognize that reality. We have to deal with the people that are currently covered under Obamacare.”

    And that underscores a central fact of American politics since Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act during the Depression: Once a benefit has been bestowed, it is nearly impossible to take it away.

    Quite right. The Republican repeal crusade, whether the party wants to admit it or not, is over. Sure, Boehner & Co. can schedule a few dozen more repeal votes to help Tea Partiers feel warm and fuzzy, but even that’s less likely in light of the millions of consumers who’ve signed up for coverage – in an election year, candidates don’t generally thrive running on a platform that says, “Vote for me so I can take health care benefits away from your family.”

    Indeed, GOP officials are desperate to talk about the “cancellation notices” a small sliver of the population received, but it gets a little tricky for these same Republicans to draw up plans to cancel millions more health care plans on purpose.

    http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/gop-confronting-new-reality-healthcare

  58. 58.

    Corner Stone

    @Tommy:

    St. Louis would be my “second” team since that is where I grew up and now live

    Oh, sorry. Thought you lived in Illinois.

  59. 59.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    @Tommy: The Kingdome sucked in many ways, but it was quite loud. I went to one Seaweeds game while I was up there.

  60. 60.

    Amir Khalid

    I must add: Happy birthday, Randinho, although I don’t really think it’s your 75th. I miss your football posts. Please come back.

  61. 61.

    KG

    @KG: oh, apparently SF needs to win too. Which the Chicago-St. Louis-Arizona Cardinals are making less of a certainty

  62. 62.

    Elmo

    If my Chargers are struggling this much against KC’s second string, they don’t deserve to go to the playoffs. This is just sad.

  67. 67.

    Baud

    @Tommy:

    My understanding is that those two stadiums are among the loudest, in addition to Arrowhead. The Superdome could be louder but half the fans are probably drunk.

    @KG:

    Thanks. I wasn’t sure of the playoff scenarios. One game at a time.

  71. 71.

    rikyrah

    Christie aides ‘knew full well’ about traffic chaos
    12/27/13 10:30 AM—Updated 12/27/13 01:49 PM
    By Steve Benen

    On the first day of school in September, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s (R) top aides at the Port Authority shut down local access lanes to the George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee, soon after the community’s mayor refused to endorse the governor’s re-election campaign. The Bergen Record reported this week that the Christie administration knew well in advance what was likely to happen to the community (via Amanda Terkel).

    The mayor of Fort Lee, frustrated by increasing traffic leading to the George Washington Bridge, wrote to Governor Christie’s top appointee at the Port Authority in November 2010 to plead for help easing the gridlock.

    But nearly three years later, that Port Authority official and another high-ranking Christie appointee quietly closed two local access lanes to the bridge without notifying the mayor or other borough officials, exacerbating the traffic problems. […]

    The three-page letter by Mayor Mark Sokolich to former Port Authority Executive Director Bill Baroni, who recently resigned, is the clearest indication yet that Christie’s appointees at the agency were aware of the borough’s sensitivities to congestion before ordering the lane diversions that are at the center of the controversy. The letter indicates that Baroni met with Sokolich face to face in September 2010 to discuss the traffic issues and that he told Sokolich to contact him in the future “to address any concerns or grievances.” Sokolich has said he was ignored by the authority during the September lane closings.

    The local paper obtained the 2010 letter through a public-records request.

    “The mayor’s letter to Bill Baroni demonstrates that Baroni knew full well the traffic chaos that would result from the lane closures at the George Washington Bridge,” state Assemblyman John Wisniewski (D) said in a statement. “It adds to the growing evidence of poor management by the governor’s top appointees to the Port Authority, men who are among New Jersey’s highest paid public employees…. How the governor can continue to defend such behavior is beyond my comprehension.”

    http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/christie-aides-knew-full-well-about-chaos

  73. 73.

    JCJ

    Excellent block by John Kuhn to keep Julius Peppers from getting to Aaron Rodgers. Welcome back A-Rod and Randall Cobb.

  74. 74.

    KG

    @Baud: no problem. Looks like the Saints go to Philly or Dallas, depending on who wins. SF goes to Green Bay. On the other side, SD plays Cincinnati and KC goes to Indy.

  76. 76.

    Tommy

    @Corner Stone: Southern Illinois, about 33 miles from downtown. So a Cards and somewhat of a Rams fan. I just often say St. Louis cause folks can place that on a map. And since I get all my local TV/radio and newspaper out of St. Louis it often feels like I do live in MO :).

  79. 79.

    rikyrah

    Franken’s mental health bill faces far-right holds
    12/27/13 12:30 PM—Updated 12/27/13 02:03 PM
    By Steve Benen

    Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) has made mental health legislation one of the central elements of his legislative efforts and appears to have come up with a sensible proposal: the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Act.

    The bill authorizes $40 million to extend funding for mental health courts for five years, creates more crisis intervention teams to work closely with police, and offers veterans better screening for mental health problems stemming from trauma and chemical dependency.

    Police academies would be able to strengthen training programs for new officers on effective responses to mentally ill people they encounter on the street, and increased screening services would be used to better evaluate the mental health of new inmates. […]

    Franken said the bill particularly recognizes that veterans with mental health issues should be accorded special consideration if they find themselves in the criminal justice system after committing a nonviolent crime.

    On the surface, the bill’s prospects looked encouraging, at least as of a couple of months ago. Franken’s bill has 30 co-sponsors in the Senate, for example, nearly half of whom are Republicans. What’s more, there’s a companion bill in the House, sponsored by Rep. Rich Nugent, a Florida Republican. Proponents have worked under the assumption for months that the package could reach the floor in both chambers will minimal opposition.

    But before the Senate broke for the holidays, Franken discovered that his bill has been blocked by two colleagues who placed a “hold” on the legislation. While the senator didn’t identify the members behind the hold, the Minneapolis Star Tribune learned that the two opponents are Sens. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah).

    And why, pray tell, would Coburn and Lee oppose a bipartisan measure filled with sensible measures related to mental health? Because they “believe that states should govern how mentally ill people are treated.”

    http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/mental-health-bill-faces-far-right-holds

  82. 82.

    rikyrah

    Koch brothers’ AFP takes the low road
    12/27/13 02:30 PM—Updated 12/27/13 05:12 PM
    By Steve Benen

    If casual viewers catch the ad by accident, they might think the commercial supports the Affordable Care Act. Randy Westby says in the spot, “I’ve had three heart attacks in the last six years. Health care is something that’s essential. My life depends on it.”

    Right, which is all the more reason that “Obamacare” is likely to be a life-saving law for millions of Americans. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, Westby won’t have to worry about being denied coverage due to his pre-existing condition; he’ll have peace of mind knowing that he’ll still have insurance even if he loses or changes his job; and he can take comfort in knowing, no matter how serious his heart ailments, he won’t face annual or lifetime limits. For a person in Westby’s position, a law like this is arguably a godsend – his life, as he says in the ad, may very well depend on having access to quality, affordable care.

    But as it turns out, Westby is actually the star of a new right-wing attack ad, created by the Koch brothers’ Americans for Prosperity, and targeting Rep. Rick Nolan (D) in Minnesota’s 8th district. Apparently, according to the ad, Westby is in that small sliver of the population that received cancellation notices as part of reforms to the individual, non-group market.

    George Zornick is asking the right questions.

    [W]as Westby able to find another plan? … The ad doesn’t tell us if Westby is one of those people.

    Nor does it note that he can’t be disqualified from any of the plans on the exchanges because of his preexisting condition – and three heart attacks in six years is one heck of a preexisting condition. Are the plans available to him cheaper than what he had before? How much better is the coverage? We don’t know, although given Westby’s medical history and apparent age, it seems he is exactly the type of person most likely to benefit from how the new individual market is structured.

    When local reporters reached out to Westby to find out more about his circumstances, and to confirm the accuracy of the ad itself, he refused interview requests, which is certainly his right, but which leaves relevant questions about his argument unanswered.

    http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/koch-brothers-afp-takes-the-low-road

  84. 84.

    Tommy

    @BillinGlendaleCA: The St. Louis Rams may very well be leaving again. Their dome stadium is like 12 years old, but they have this strange clause in their lease that says it has to be a “top five” stadium in the NFL. They want like $300 million in improvements. Folks are not that happy, cause the taxpayers just paid for a new Cardinals stadium not that long ago and most people don’t think the owners held up their end, which was to invest about $200 million in housing, parks, and businesses around said stadium. They have not.

    Update: I should note does LA want a team?

  87. 87.

    The Dangerman

    @Tommy:

    …which was to invest about $200 million in housing, parks, and businesses around said stadium. They have not.

    The apples (I assume the children) don’t fall far from the tree (Georgia Frontiere).

  89. 89.

    Helen

    @rikyrah: Oh wait. I thought that what we bleeding heart stupid communist liberals thought was a gun problem was, really, a mental health problem (see CT; Sandy Hook et. al.). So surely all those second amendment advocates also advocate a strong, funded, mental health program in this country, right? Bueller? Bueller? Anyone?

  91. 91.

    Tommy

    @efgoldman: We actually waited a few years to have the All Star game here, even though MLB offered it to us sooner. The goal was to have what should be Cardinals Village done to showcase the city. Never really happened.

  92. 92.

    The Dangerman

    @Tommy:

    ….he Cards are owned by William O. DeWitt, Jr.

    Oops, I stand corrected, thanks. Georgia made no friends the way she left LA (more correctly, Anaheim).

  93. 93.

    Gravenstone

    @raven: So what are the odds the Bears extend Cutler? Personally, I expect they’ll cut him loose and ride McCown as a stopgap as they draft a new hope.

  95. 95.

    Tommy

    @The Dangerman: No worries. Not sure how you would know that if you didn’t live here. I just think Frontiere is making a huge error talking about moving the Rams. This is a baseball town, not a football town. I am not even sure how many folks would even care if they left.

    I mean the Blues, Cardinals, and Rams all got new downtown stadiums in the last 12 years or so. The feeling seems to be you guys got all new shinny things, can’t you be happy for a few years?

  96. 96.

    raven

    @Gravenstone: Trestman will get the say in that I assume. He made some great throws today and the combination of defensive stupidity and ineptitude sealed the deal. If I were them I keep them both and do something about the defense.

    From watching him in the SEC I just knew Cobb would kill us.

  97. 97.

    pseudonymous in nc

    @burnspbesq:

    Anybody want to talk Ashes cricket?

    Away wins count double, right? That means the SCG could swing it. Oh, who am I kidding?

    I’m phlegmatic about it: every decent international cricket team needs at least one Nightmare Tour to go into the memoirs, and this is the current England side’s. All of the uh-ohs from the summer developed into full-blown oh-nos (Zaltzman’s description of the summer Ashes as a ‘narrow thrashing’ was very accurate) and it’s time to rebuild. In the meantime, India and the Saffers are playing out a really compelling pair of Tests which once again make the ICC look stupid because a two-Test series is bullshit.

  99. 99.

    Tommy

    @raven: Sure he isn’t the best of the best, but far better than most. And as a guy who follows a team that hasn’t had a good QB in well over a decade (jury still out on RGIII for me), I know that means a lot of seasons where you don’t win many games.

    What I heard is some say the Bears might slap the franchise tag on him. I also hear he has something of an attitude and I wonder how he’d play if they did that.

  100. 100.

    max

    @Corner Stone: Ooooo, 60 Minutes is next! I wonder what they can reliably inform us about?

    Edward Snowden was the mastermind behind BENGHAZI!!!

    max
    [‘Bipartisanship!’]

  102. 102.

    Tommy

    @efgoldman: Football makes no sense in LA to me. I used work for a “virtual” software company and our best salesperson was in LA. I’d ask him what he was doing on the weekend and there was a list of things that was staggering, and it never involved sports.

    I mean if you need a football fix you got UCLA and USC, plus like a few hundred other things to do. I mean I am a HUGE sports fans but when he told me the bands he was going to see, the food festivals, or what was at the Disney Theather, well I’d rather do that then go see football or baseball or basketball or hockey or soccer.

  105. 105.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    @Tommy: There are 2 stadium proposals here in LaLa land. Farmer’s field is slated to be built in downtown LA next to Staples Arena. I think this is a bad idea due to parking/traffic concerns, it is after all LA. The other is Los Angeles Stadium, about 25 miles east of downtown near Industry/Rowland Heights/Diamond Bar. Both will only be built if there is a team slated to be here. The developer in Industry want 30% ownership, which I doubt is possible unless it’s an expansion team which the NFL seems to be reluctant to do.

  107. 107.

    MomSense

    Happy birthday, Randinho!

    Eldest spawn just came home with bourbon soaked cinnamon sticks and apple cider. Will have a mug to your good health and long life.

  110. 110.

    handsmile

    Feliz Aniversario, Randinho! [who is nowhere near 75, btw]

    My birthday wish for you is that you better f*cking get back to posting here on “the beautiful game” by next summer’s World Cup. And by next spring’s Champions League playoffs wouldn’t be a bad idea either.

    And here’s a birthday gift – hours of entertainment and debate: the Guardian football writers’ “The 100 Best Footballers in the World 2013”:

    http://www.theguardian.com/football/ng-interactive/2013/dec/100-greatest-footballers-2013

  112. 112.

    Tommy

    @BillinGlendaleCA: You may very well have the Rams if you want them. When they built the new stadium about 12 years ago, which we use as a convention center, a tax was raised on local downtown businesses. The thinking that cause of Rams games and huge conventions (and we have maybe more then you would think) businesses would benefit.

    The owners now want hundreds of millions in upgrades a nobody seems to be a big fan. Most importantly the businesses. They pretty much all say the same thing, that business is no greater on game day or when say 40,000 are here for a convention.

    Fan are pissed they had to buy seat licenses and recently the product they have put on the field isn’t that good.

    Kind of like a perfect storm …. but the ownership doesn’t seem to be able to read the tea leaves.

  114. 114.

    ? Martin

    @BillinGlendaleCA: I can see why Diamond Bar would be appealing for something like this, but they really need to build these things near transportation hubs to cut down on the traffic/parking, and there’s nothing in Diamond Bar…

    Staples at least has the benefit of the Blue Line nearby, but I don’t know what the mass transit ridership is for events there. I imagine it’s not as high as it ought to be.

  116. 116.

    Tommy

    @? Martin: I’ve never been outside of LAX, so LA is a town I have no experience with. But it seems amazing there is anyplace you could build a stadium that is remotely close to downtown.

  118. 118.

    Corner Stone

    @Tommy:

    I’d ask him what he was doing on the weekend and there was a list of things that was staggering, and it never involved sports.

    Well, what was he planning on doing?

  122. 122.

    Corner Stone

    @Tommy: I have friends with excessive adipose tissue who intend to do the same, all the time.
    I was hoping for “bed hopping with wannabe starlets”.

  124. 124.

    Corner Stone

    I can’t express how badly I despise the Dallas Cowboys. In second place is the Redskins and a tight 3rd are the Iggles.

  125. 125.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    @? Martin: The stadium site is next to the 57/60 interchanges, I’m not sure transit would be much of a problem. Transit in downtown LA would be a much bigger problem, even with Metro. A football stadium would require 3 to 4 times the transit capacity than a basketball arena needs.

  126. 126.

    Tommy

    @Corner Stone: He is maybe the most fit 50 year old man I know. Rides with world class professionals. He once sent me the pics of him getting taken off the side of a mountain in a helicopter with a compound fracture. I spend a ton of time on my mountain bike, I just don’t do shit anywhere close to what he does.

  127. 127.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    @Tommy: The site for Farmer’s field is between Staples and the 110 freeway, currently occupied by part of the LA Convention Center.

  129. 129.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    @efgoldman: As Martin indicated, the Blue line is already there. Freeway on/off ramps would be a big problem there as well as parking.

  130. 130.

    ? Martin

    @Tommy: There’s quite a bit of space, actually. Land isn’t as expensive as other downtowns because there’s few physical constraints to keep sprawl in check. The Diamond Bar location isn’t remotely close to downtown, but isn’t unrealistically far from downtown to work – plus it pulls from the 3M people here in OC, and the 3M people out in Riverside/San Bernardino. Everyone here is used to driving that far for any number of reasons, and a bi-weekly football game is certainly acceptable.

    But LA’s downtown isn’t like other cities’ downtowns. There’s almost multiple downtowns. Proper downtown is quite small, but there’s another ‘downtown’ section over by UCLA – Westwood/Santa Monica with lots of large office buildings and higher residential density, so as you drive around it builds up, then tuns to suburbs, then builds up again, etc. The city of LA is 500 square miles – about half the size of Rhode Island and a bit bigger than all 5 boroughs of NYC, so it’s really, really spread out, and then it spills into other cities like Long Beach (which is about the size of Las Vegas). Rush hour isn’t easy – it’s not an obvious traffic flow going in and then out of a central area – people are going in every direction at once – it’s just a mess.

    But it means that there’s a surprising number of opportunities for something like a stadium. Yeah, it requires some gentrification, but it’s not so ungodly expensive as to be undoable – not like trying to build in NYC (unless you’re way in the outer boroughs). Plus, money flows like water out here for the right opportunity. We have no shortage of self-important billionaires. Problem is, none of them seem to give a shit about football…

  131. 131.

    Tommy

    @BillinGlendaleCA: I’ve been meaning to get to LA, cause my only cousin I am close with is a nurse at the UCLA Medical Center. So I got a free couch and a place to stay. Plus he is a hippie liberal like myself and we have many of the same interests. Just not gotten there. Anytime I head to CA I can’t help but go to San Fran. Feel in love with the place, plus it is just a hop skip and short drive to Lake Tahoe, and as a huge hiker/camper, well that is like paradise for me.

  134. 134.

    geg6

    Buddy Guy was just fucking shreddin’ it, mother fuckers. Hootchie Cootchie Man, mother fuckers.

    Kennedy Center Honors is kicking ass so far.

  135. 135.

    Tommy

    @? Martin: Well clearly I don’t know LA. I really hope if they build something it works out like the Verizon center in DC. All the owners looking for taxpayer funds say how the stadium will help the local area. I am not really sure that really ever happens. But it did in DC with the Verizon Center. It is two blocks from China Town and not that far from Capital Hill (where I used lived).

    There is no other way to say it, the place was a hell hole before the arena was built. Not someplace you want to be after dark. Burnt out storefronts. Just terrible.

    Now a Metro stop, restaurants, retail space, movie theater, tons of apartments. A real success story.

    Oh and the owner of the Wizards and Capitals paid for it all on his own. Not a penny of taxpayer dollars. Kudos to Abe Pollin, who passed away a number of years ago, but a total class act.

  137. 137.

    The Dangerman

    @? Martin:

    NFL teams won’t succeed here.

    It would succeed if it had any success; LA is a notorious front running town. It was a Dodgers town when they had a nice run, then a Lakers town after Showtime showed up (and they’ve had a helluva run), now it’s swinging back to being a Dodgers town again. Put in an average team (Raiders/Rams) or an expansion team, it would fail.

    Personally, I’d find a way to give the Rose Bowl to an NFL team and find a way to build UCLA a stadium near Jackie Robinson Stadium on Veterans Stadium property (yes, I know there are legal problems with only Jackie Robinson Stadium on that property, but IANAL and I assume it can be worked out). The Rose Bowl would work for traffic and a large portion of UCLA’s games come from the West Side anyway. Of course, traffic on the 405 would SUCK on a game day, but what else is new?

  140. 140.

    ? Martin

    @efgoldman: You don’t need to build transit, you just need to run surge trains to handle the peak load. Metro is terrible at that sort of thing, though. In NYC they’d have most of their trains online at midnight on New Years to take everyone home – from the subways all the way out to LIRR (did that many times, usually falling down drunk along with everyone else). They could handle something like half a million passengers in a few hours.

    Metro doesn’t run very frequently. They could certainly run a few express trains just to pull people in from Union Station and run dedicated Metrolink trains from the suburbs in time for the game and to take them home. The stadium works out a deal with Metro to provide discounted tickets bundled in. It’s easier to do than baseball where ticket prices are lower. In a market like this, average ticket prices are going to be roughly $200. Tossing in an $11 rail pass to avoid having to pay for $400M in parking is a no-brainer. Can Metro plan and manage that? Who knows. But it’s not a hard problem to solve. MTA has worked out deals with the Yankees and Mets to do double-headers and put everyone on the subway to get to the other stadium for the 2nd game. That’s way the hell harder to work out.

  141. 141.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    @The Dangerman: That’s about the only place near campus that you could build a stadium; however since I’m a selfish bastard, I like the Bruins playing in the Rose Bowl since it’s close by. Also the local residents around the Rose Bowl have made it very clear that the DO NOT want a pro team in the Rose Bowl.

  143. 143.

    Helen

    @? Martin:

    Yeah, it requires some gentrification, but it’s not so ungodly expensive as to be undoable – not like trying to build in NYC (unless you’re way in the outer boroughs).

    Don’t get all excited about the outer boroughs. We’re all full up here too.

  145. 145.

    The Dangerman

    @BillinGlendaleCA:

    That’s about the only place near campus that you could build a stadium…

    That’s the way I see it; plus, there’s a huge parking infrastructure in place at UCLA already and, if it’s done right, perhaps one could tailgate on campus and get shuttled over in time for the game (ok, that could be a logistical nightmare, but I’m a few beers into the day)….

    …however since I’m a selfish bastard, I like the Bruins playing in the Rose Bowl since it’s close by.

    I hear ya, but I’d give up the proximity to get to tailgate on campus (if that were a possibility, see above)…

  146. 146.

    Tommy

    @? Martin: There has got to be something you can do. The last Metro stop in Southern Illinois to St. Louis is 4 miles from my house. Parking is free. And an all day pass is $7. I ride it all the time and I am like the only person on the darn thing.

    But when the Cardinals play the cars look like the Toyko subway.

    They also have what is called the Cardinals Express, buses that pick people up at a huge mall and literally drive you almost into the Stadium. People here seem to love their cars and not use the rail or bus system much, but on “game day” they do understand it is easier to take public transportation.

  147. 147.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    @? Martin: I’m not convinced that folk in LA would use Metro to get to the game, even with additional trains running. Have you seen any data on usage for SC games since the Expo line opened?

  148. 148.

    Gin & Tonic

    @? Martin: to avoid having to pay for $400M in parking

    I have to call bullshit on that. Only in New York City can it cost $400 million to park your car.

  149. 149.

    Corner Stone

    @Betty Cracker: I can’t stand any current Cowboy player. But for some reason I somehow want Kyle Orton to have a good game.
    Tony Romo may be the worst $100M QB ever seen in the NFL.
    No…no…Romo IS the worst big money QB in the history of the NFL.

  152. 152.

    Tommy

    @efgoldman: Oh I can’t stand the Pats (but mad respect). My gosh what an amazing organization. My Redskins are so dysfunctional I’d beg for ownership like Robert Kraft.

  154. 154.

    The Dangerman

    @BillinGlendaleCA:

    …no booze sales or consumption…

    I thought the Coop sells beer now…

    …anyway, there are ways around that prohibition; Cal Poly SLO is nominally a dry campus but LOTS of beer is consumed on gameday. When we are talking Alumni coming to campus with their checkbooks, they’ll find a way around the dry campus thing.

  156. 156.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    @The Dangerman:

    I thought the Coop sells beer now…

    Not sure, I haven’t been back to campus in about 10 years. They tried to get a licker license went I was in school, but ASUCLA fucked up the application by applying for an off premises license.

  158. 158.

    Tommy

    @efgoldman: I mentioned the Cardinals Express buses. I can only assume other places do this as well, run buses like every ten minutes. Costs next to nothing and very popular, since where you park to get on is FREE.

    I’ve never seen any numbers but I can only assume using the service a few times it is thousands of people.

  162. 162.

    Tommy

    @efgoldman: Yeah to say I dislike Dallas would be an understatement. But Witten could play on my team any day of the week. Heck I mean that is what RGIII really needs, a TE as a safety valve for him. Doesn’t have one right now.

  165. 165.

    Corner Stone

    @Tommy: RGIII needs a fuckton more than a TE.
    He is an absolute joke of an NFL QB. Weak arm, bad read skills and fragile.
    He may not be in the league after the end of next season.

  166. 166.

    Helen

    Only in New York City can it cost $400 million to park your car.

    And then only in midtown.

    And you know what? If you are so stupid/rich to have a car in NYC that is what it should cost you. Here’s Helen’s “NYC car rule”

    NO private cars in Manhattan. Only cabs, busses and subways. You are so rich that you have a house in the Hamptons? Park your car in Queens at the river and take the subway in. OH… too important for that? No problem. $500,000 per year, per car, per person to drive In Manhattan.

    The end.

  167. 167.

    Tommy

    @Corner Stone: Yes. Yes it is. When I lived in DC I paid $280/month to park (late 90s money). I almost never drove, but did it cause I wanted my car to be safe. When you have your car broken into twice and your girlfriends car stolen outside your place and never found, it was more peace of mind.

    I grew up in rural areas and/or small town where I was used to driving everywhere.

    Once I put that concept aside and tried to use public transportation I was stunned how easy it was. Even enjoyable.

    Now back to a more rural area and I have a pretty amazing public transportation system. Sure it takes some planning. Not always easy. But alas dirt cheap and enjoyable most times.

  168. 168.

    Randinho

    Thank you all for all the kind wishes, my 75th by the way is now 18 years away.

    And yes, I’m embarrassingly long overdue for a football post and there’s lots to talk about. I hope to have one up in the next week.

    Thanks again!

  172. 172.

    Tommy

    @Corner Stone: I am not sure I’d say he has a weak arm, but agree with everything else you said and I am a former Redskins season ticket holder.

    I just don’t see how you win in this league if you are not a pocket passer and you don’t know how to get down on the ground in the face of a massive rush.

    That preseason ESPN special he did, when you see him with his pads off in the locker room, the guy isn’t that big.I mean as fit as you get, but alas when you might get hit by a 6’5 350 pound defensive lineman, well your days in the league are numbered IMHO.

  175. 175.

    Suffern ACE

    @Helen: Suffern ACE lived in New York, had a car, and somehow missed out on the hamptons summer house. Where do they give those out?

  176. 176.

    Corner Stone

    @Tommy: He can’t plant his foot to throw, and that makes him flutter his throws.
    He sucks.
    As a semi-mobile QB these days you have to be built like Cam or Tebow.
    Or you will not make a full season intact.

  177. 177.

    Helen

    @chopper: NO. Once you are in Manhattan you have boatloads of public transportation (you know, SOCIALIST) options.

    You need to get through Manhattan and then South? Go on the BQE and over the Verrizano. Need to get to Northern NY or NJ? Take the Triboro to the Deegan to the GWB.

  178. 178.

    Corner Stone

    @Suffern ACE: Oh no. We’ve reached the part of the evening where Suffern ACE starts talking in third person.
    Let’s all back away quietly, go to the local coffee shop and listen to the Brazilian jazz trio.

  180. 180.

    Temporarily Max McGee (soon enough to be Andy K again)

    @raven:

    Sorry, man. It came down to which defense fucked up the least. Hats off to Matt Forte- I respect the fuck outta that guy.

  181. 181.

    Tommy

    @Corner Stone: And that is my point, you have to be the size of Cam or Tebow if you are mobile. He is nothing close to that. Last year and earlier this year there was an entire debate about his inability to slide. Where he seemed unable to slide feet first. I kid you not he and coaches said he was trying to learn.

    I am sorry, but males (heck any women) that has played a day of baseball or softball can’t slide?

  184. 184.

    Temporarily Max McGee (soon enough to be Andy K again)

    @Tommy:

    Guy’s pretty fast. Maybe he never had to slide in baseball/softball- assuming he played.

  188. 188.

    Tommy

    @Corner Stone: ESPN has this series they do about the physics of sports. I always find it interesting. They did a show on Tebow when he was with Denver. How he might try to run over a safety, but also how when he did take a hit he took them well. Protected himself. Fell on his behind and not his arm, shoulder, head.

    You see a highlight reel of RGIII getting hit and it always looks like he is in the most awkward position.

    I am not sure you can “teach” somebody how to take a hit, but somebody sure ought to try.

  189. 189.

    burnspbesq

    @JCJ:

    You say that like being behind Everton is a bad thing. Actually, after Everton lost to Sunderland on Boxing Day I am pretty sure a collapse is just around the corner.

    It is if you’re a Liverpool fan. And I wouldn’t be too sure about that collapse; if the Notorious Irish Terrist Seamus Coleman keeps dropping bombs all over England, the Toffs may hang around.

  190. 190.

    Temporarily Max McGee (soon enough to be Andy K again)

    @Corner Stone:

    High school and NCAA RGIII ran track. He set a few Texas state high school records in a couple of different hurdles events. IIRC, he was still at the top of that game while at Baylor. The point is that if he ever did play baseball/softball, he did it when he was younger, and his speed probably would have trumped elementary school arms.
    @Tommy:

    Understood, but they don’t have to slide. I agree that he’ll probably be out of football soon.

  192. 192.

    ? Martin

    @Helen: I agree. Take every other street and avenue and turn them into pedestrian/bike only. The ones that remain are only open to bus/taxi/delivery (by permit). Open up the pedestrian streets only to emergency vehicles. 25% of Manhattan acreage is dedicated to cars – it’s insane. That’s about $75B in real estate turned over to cars. Take those pedestrian streets and open up the sidewalks to open-air dining, gardens, etc. You’d reinvent the city.

    You would need a route to cross Manhattan by car, though. Can’t shove 12 million people across the Verrazano and Tappan Zee bridges. Maybe connect and widen the Queens Midtown and Lincoln tunnels. That’d be cool – go under in Queens and pop up in Jersey. Build a 2nd tunnel near DUMBO or the navy yard and have it connect with Holland.

  193. 193.

    Corner Stone

    So you made edits to your post, and that’s fine. But a John Elway in today’s NFL would get his buck teeth shoved down his throat within 3 games if he tried his shit.
    And Elway had a cannon compared to RGIII.
    RGIII just sucks. There is not a lot of middle ground to make an alternative case.

  194. 194.

    Temporarily Max McGee (soon enough to be Andy K again)

    @Corner Stone:

    Who’s being a dick about anything? Tommy wrote:

    I am sorry, but males (heck any women) that has played a day of baseball or softball can’t slide?

    That sorta assumes that RGIII played baseball. It’s pretty well known that the guy ran track, which runs alongside the baseball season in both high school and college. So he probably didn’t play baseball/softball from high school onward- and if he was fast when he was younger, he may never have had to develop his slide.

  197. 197.

    Tommy

    @Corner Stone: I don’t know if he played baseball. But what American male doesn’t play a pick-up game? And come on, sliding isn’t rocket science.

    Oh and how am I being a dick? I want the guy to do well, I am a Redskins fan. I just don’t see it happening. I am not happy about that, but alas I am not going to be a total “homer” and say things I don’t see.

  199. 199.

    Corner Stone

    @Tommy: No, Tommy. If you actually exist, you are not being a dick. You’re just making short, declarative statements that everyone can read.
    I grew up here. My dad believes this. My mom does this. My friends do these things. I went to school here. Then I went here. Those people did things.
    I had a car one time. Now I don’t. Women I knew thought about their lady parts. Then I didn’t because I live here now.
    Parking is good. But then other people park and it is good too.

  201. 201.

    Temporarily Max McGee (soon enough to be Andy K again)

    @Tommy:

    It means that he’s a miserable sonuvabitch who wants to spread his misery around. No more, no less.

  205. 205.

    JGabriel

    Goddammit, why does the party always end when I get there?

    Happy Birthday, Randinho, and best wishes for many more!

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