Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Their boy Ron is an empty plastic cup that will never know pudding.

Teach a man to fish, and he’ll sit in a boat all day drinking beer.

Sometimes the world just tells you your cat is here.

The real work of an opposition party is to hold the people in power accountable.

There is no right way to do the wrong thing.

He really is that stupid.

Republicans got rid of McCarthy. Democrats chose not to save him.

Someone should tell Republicans that violence is the last refuge of the incompetent, or possibly the first.

If you voted for Trump, you don’t get to speak about ethics, morals, or rule of law.

The Giant Orange Man Baby is having a bad day.

Rupert, come get your orange boy, you petrified old dinosaur turd.

After dobbs, women are no longer free.

Take hopelessness and turn it into resilience.

Do we throw up our hands or do we roll up our sleeves? (hint, door #2)

Relentless negativity is not a sign that you are more realistic.

Baby steps, because the Republican Party is full of angry babies.

But frankly mr. cole, I’ll be happier when you get back to telling us to go fuck ourselves.

At some point, the ability to learn is a factor of character, not IQ.

Nothing says ‘pro-life’ like letting children go hungry.

Every decision we make has lots of baggage with it, known or unknown.

“Until such time as the world ends, we will act as though it intends to spin on.”

Peak wingnut was a lie.

It’s pointless to bring up problems that can only be solved with a time machine.

Never give a known liar the benefit of the doubt.

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NFL Open Thread

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Once again, we have a 9:30 AM ET game in London today, so I’m posting my picks early:

My big upset pick for this week is Colts over Panthers in the MNF game tomorrow. I keep sticking with the Colts despite all evidence that they suck. No good reason for that; I’m not a particular fan of the Colts other than being an admirerer of Andrew Luck, and the Panthers are undefeated and clearly the superior team. It’s just a feeling.

Anyone got any game-related (or NFL-free) BBQ plans today? I’m thinking about it. We had some guests over yesterday to watch the big college game, and for once, we decided NOT to do a cookout but rather to order pizzas so we could focus on the gridiron rather than the grill. We might make up for it today. Haven’t decided yet.

Open thread!

Reader Interactions

150Comments

  3. 3.

    Corner Stone

    B Crack, what’s your thinking on taking da Bears? I don’t have a rooting interest either way but think the Vikes are a decidedly better team.
    Just taking the home field advantage on this, or something else?

  8. 8.

    Corner Stone

    Went a little RoastFest crazy last night and had a platter of thick sliced onions, whole garlic bulbs, carrots and asparagus spears.
    Should be an interesting day around the manse.

  11. 11.

    CrunchyFrog

    @Corner Stone: Certainly the Packers are the obvious pick there, but counter-factors are that Denver is coming off of a bye week which means they get several injured players back to full strength, and there is the theory that they used the bye week to solve a lot of the offensive problems. Then there is the Packers’ relative lack of depth and the reality that visiting teams give their starting players a lot more plays off at mile high than usual due to not be used to the lack of oxygen. That last point may be important if the game stays close well into the second half. The Pack has a tendency to break open close games in the second half (see the Bears game) as their offense wears down the opposing defense – harder if your O-Linemen are sucking air.

  12. 12.

    Betty Cracker

    @Corner Stone: Home field is part of it. Also, I really hope Matt Forte will have a big game and show up child-abusing crap-weasel Adrian Peterson, so there’s some wishful thinking in my calculus too.

  15. 15.

    Punchy

    Amazing, but here in metro KC, no one seems very interested in the KC game. May have something to do with a certain baseball team in the vicinity…

  16. 16.

    Keith P.

    I’ve been on a roll calling out overrated QBs as of late. I was baffled over the RG3 mania while it was happening (my suspicion was that is was because he was playing for a team in a major news city, similar to how NY issues are the nation’s issues), and I’m still baffled on Luck-mania. He can lead a 4th quarter drive, sure, but the guy is an interception machine (and this season, a tackling dummy). Yet Bleacherreport was foreshadowing his fall this season with a couple of features on how much of a genius Andrew Luck is.

  17. 17.

    Mark

    I’m going with the Rams over the 49ers. Rams aren’t all that bad of a team, and they are at home. The 49er’s suck this year.
    London: Football all day long. Good way to add an extra game to the daily TV schedule. A body could watch 4 games in one day.
    Football overload.

  18. 18.

    SRW1

    @Amir Khalid:

    Amir, what’s your initial assessment of Klopp at LFC? He appears to have had a bit of a slow start, but yesterday they succeeded to make Mou’s misery worse. At the bridge!

    Where would you expect LFC at the end of the season to consider the Rogers / Klopp swap a success?

  19. 19.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @TaMara (BHF): The NFL has saturated the market here in the Colonies, so they’re looking to establish a beachhead in Europe, and London is it, seeing as they nearly speak the same language in London as we do.

  20. 20.

    Corner Stone

    @Keith P.: I’ve been loudly carping on RG Cheese since before the NFL Draft. He should not be on an NFL roster, and Washington allowed him to prima donna all over the team for some reason. All the hype pre-draft was disturbingly hilarious if you had ever actually watched him play NCAA football.
    I disagree with you on Luck and believe him to be a far superior QB than RG Cheese. Even with the poor showing so far this season Luck is a top 10 QB. The Colts have done a terribiddle job placing no talent around him. I larfed quite a bit when they acquired a washed up Andre Johnson and then hyped him to be the key piece for moving forward.

  21. 21.

    Betty Cracker

    @Keith P.: I don’t think Luck is overrated at all. He’s in a slump, and I don’t think he’s fully recovered from the shoulder injury, but I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t get it together again and go on to great things in the NFL, though perhaps not this year.

  23. 23.

    Roger Moore

    @TaMara (BHF):

    Why is the NFL playing football in London?

    Because the games there have been a financial success. Also, too, it gives them an excuse to play a game earlier in the day than they would otherwise, which means four television time slots on Sunday instead of only three.

  25. 25.

    tybee

    we’ll be dining on grilled leftovers today.

    the menu last night was, in order of the courses:

    seaweed/bean sprout salad
    avacado halves, fresh pineapple.
    grilled butternut squash, grilled golden beets
    stuffed mushrooms with goat cheese and jalapeno, stuffed yellow squash
    beef brisket
    vanilla frozen yogurt with fresh raspberries.

    all of it except for the salad and the frozen yogurt were cooked on the grill.

    then we drank beer and played cards into the wee hours.

    now we’re gathering up the supplies (sun screen, beer, ice) to go for a boat ride at high tide…

    hope the foulcons do to the price’o’corns what they did last year.
    (sorry, Betty)

  26. 26.

    redshirt

    If the NFL insists on trying to go international, Canada and Mexico make 1000% more sense than London.

    No disrespect to London, but the travel and time difference is too much, both for fans and the teams themselves.

    For example, it wasn’t really fair for the Dolphins to play in London on Sunday and then NE on Thursday.

  27. 27.

    Schlemazel

    @redshirt:
    DOes not matter as long as Fux is willing to pay for the privilege of having a game on at 4AM in LA. They internet broadcast one last week & then lied about viewership. This who deal is about suctioning up more dollars from the same number of games. Tuesday and Wednesday night games are probably not that far off.

  29. 29.

    Davebo

    @Corner Stone:

    Luck is good, but I have to say over rated. And I’m predisposed to support him having watched his father hold the clipboard for so many games.

    But the kid stuck it out at Stanford and you have to appreciate that.

  30. 30.

    Amir Khalid

    @SRW1:
    Jürgen Klopp seems to have got a handle on the funk that the team have got themselves into under Brendan Rodgers, and to be steadily steering them out of it again.

    Some ninny asked him at the postmatch media conference if Liverpool, having beaten the defending champion, was now going for the EPL title. Too soon for that, obviously. As far as results this season are concerned, I’d be content if he brought them back into a Europa League or Champion’s League place.

    Oh yeah, as I type this, a couple of the boy cats next door are having a right old donnybrook.

  31. 31.

    redshirt

    @Davebo:

    Luck is good, but I have to say over rated. And I’m predisposed to support him having watched his father hold the clipboard for so many games.

    But the kid stuck it out at Stanford and you have to appreciate that.

    Luck is pretty great, the problem is Indy’s GM and his choices on building the team. Any QB in the NFL without an offensive line will not be good.

  34. 34.

    Schlemazel

    @Keith P.:
    Sammy Baugh would look like crap behind that O line. I have no opinion on Luck as a QB but have come to the conclusion that GMs are focusing on the wrong positions. Give me the 5 best O linesmen and any old average QB will win.

  35. 35.

    CaseyL

    @Corner Stone: Hot peppers, not my thing at all; but I do love me some portabellas!

    I didn’t turn my clocks back until this morning. Woke up a bit on the early side, even at the “old” time, but decided not to go back to sleep. Had a great Halloween last night (I was a “Weeping Angel” from Dr. Who, and went to a very fine party to re-connect with old friends).

    I now look forward to a day spent watching football, rather than sewing a costume together, stuffing my hair under a wig, and smearing myself with gray body paint.

  36. 36.

    Suzanne

    Still sick at home, on the couch. If I sit up, I can breathe through both sides of my nose. My head feels like it weighs 500 pounds.

    I must say, nothing makes me feel as classy as when I drink generic DayQuil straight out of the bottle.

  37. 37.

    Gin & Tonic

    @redshirt: The finance business being what it is, there are a lot of Americans in London. NYC-London is almost a commute with some people I know, like the Acela. I’d bet half of Wembley this morning is dudebros.

  38. 38.

    Amir Khalid

    Speaking of the EPL — Liverpool club Everton FC have hammered Sunderland 6-2 in the first of the two Sunday matches.

  40. 40.

    Roger Moore

    @redshirt:

    For example, it wasn’t really fair for the Dolphins to play in London on Sunday and then NE on Thursday.

    That assumes they see unfair scheduling as a bad thing. If they see it as a way of rewarding teams they like and punishing ones they dislike, it makes a lot of sense.

  42. 42.

    khead

    Miami played in London on October 4th. Teams get a bye after playing in London. NFL Radio was talking this morning about having Jax stay for two weeks, play as the home and then away team, and then fly back. Maybe another team too (doing the home and away two week thing).

  43. 43.

    redshirt

    @Gin & Tonic: No doubt the games themselves are successful. I watched NFL in London and it was fantastic and packed with fans.

    But the same would hold true in Mexico City or Toronto. The distance/time difference is a killer for London.

    The NFL should invest in bringing back the Concorde.

  45. 45.

    Davebo

    @redshirt:

    That’s the same excuse they made for David Carr but he never produced anywhere and I think he’s selling insurance these days.

  46. 46.

    redshirt

    @Roger Moore:

    That assumes they see unfair scheduling as a bad thing. If they see it as a way of rewarding teams they like and punishing ones they dislike, it makes a lot of sense.

    I don’t think there are any Pats fans in the NFL offices these days. I assume it was just a quirk of scheduling, which is a fairly complex enterprise.

  48. 48.

    redshirt

    @Davebo: But it’s true. Tom Brady becomes a regular QB if he’s rushed and sacked all game long – see, 2 Eli Manning superbowls. No QB can succeed if they have no time.

  49. 49.

    SRW1

    @Amir Khalid:

    I suspect top four might be too steep a challenge for this season, even though Chelski probably will make one of the usually reserved tickets available. Europa League sounds realistic.

  50. 50.

    benw

    @redshirt:

    The NFL should invest in bringing back the Concorde.

    Given that the NFL loves their football-US military synergy, maybe they should fly both teams over at Mach 2 in F-14s.

  51. 51.

    Corner Stone

    @Davebo: I guess then it comes down to your definition of over rated. Or the sense of expectations you see from the media component of the sport.
    I have never considered him a world beater but do rank him in the top 10 of active QBs. So for me I believe he has done pretty well vs my expectations. He’s a solid young QB who IMO will have a long and above average (stat wise) NFL career. Once Brady is no longer in the AFC the sky is the limit. Especially if the Jets fail to ever acquire a decent QB.
    The endless blathering the sports media did on him (and RG Cheese for that matter) is not his fault. He’s kept his head down and done everything in his control to get better and play the game at a high level. It’s not on him the org somehow are unable to accurately rate running backs, and stubbornly refuse to get him a second reliable target in the passing game. And that O Line…sheesh. Sad face.
    And yeah, it’s a little aunt with balls is your uncle thing, but.

  53. 53.

    Suezboo

    I feel it my duty as your Rugby correspondent to inform you misguided American “football” fans that New Zealand, not surprisingly, has won the Rugby World Cup again. Beat Australia 34-17. SA came third.

    I am delighted to see that my official team, the Packers, are fancied by those so much more knowledgeable than I to win today. Go, Packers. Annihilate the brutes..er..Broncos.

  54. 54.

    Gin & Tonic

    @redshirt: Bqhatevwr. Don’t give two shits about football, myself.

    And until this morning, the time difference between EDT and London was only an hour more than the time difference between New York and San Francisco. I’m crying a river for all those athletes being paid $2mil/yr (median) who have to put up with that awful hardship.

  55. 55.

    Gator90

    Mercifully, there is no Dolphin game today, so I can continue to enjoy the Gators’ win over Georgia without the Fins killing my buzz.

  57. 57.

    Corner Stone

    @Davebo:

    That’s the same excuse they made for David Carr but he never produced anywhere and I think he’s selling insurance these days.

    And being very stylish doing it as he wears his Superbowl ring for emphasis.

  58. 58.

    JCJ

    @Amir Khalid:

    Hooray for the Toffees! They are consistently inconsistent.

    A friend of mine is from Bournemouth so I have become a fan of The Cherries this season. Not sure if it will last in to next season as they are just above the relegation zone.

  59. 59.

    schrodinger's cat

    OT: Bihar election update: I just discovered Laloo Prasad Yadav’s twitter feed. Its hilarious. Laloo Prasad Yadav, is the ex Chief Minister (like Governor of a state in the US) of Bihar and is a part of the anti-BJP coalition. He is colorful and has a great turn of phrase, especially in Hindi.

    I so wish Dem politicians would take on Republicans like Laloo does with Narendra Modi and his BJP.

    An example: My translation, original is in Hindi

    BJP is a party of lies, if one were to grind their lies like one grinds wheat, Modi’s lies alone would be able to feed the entire country.

  60. 60.

    Davebo

    @Corner Stone:

    The Texans totally “dropped the ball” not taking his little brother when they had the chance. Then again, no one ever said Rick Smith was Daryl Morey!

  61. 61.

    TaMara (BHF)

    Anoniminous , Amir Khalid, Roger Moore, SRW1, Villago Delenda Est and everyone else: so money then? I suspected but didn’t want to seem cynical. Thanks.

  63. 63.

    Roger Moore

    @Gin & Tonic:
    There are other reasons to dislike the games in Londong:

    1) There are real questions about the integrity of the games, e.g. the scheduling discussion above. Something that might hurt the integrity of the competition is something everyone interested should be nervous about.

    2) It’s unfair to the fans, who have their favorite team playing at an inconveniently early hour. It’s even worse for the fans of the “home” team, who lose out on one of a limited number of chances to watch their favorite team in person.

  64. 64.

    Corner Stone

    @TaMara (BHF):

    so money then? I suspected but didn’t want to seem cynical.

    You didn’t want to be cynical about the NFL’s motives?
    Ceiling Cat says, “Saywhutnaow?”

  66. 66.

    Corner Stone

    @Roger Moore:

    There are other reasons to dislike the games in Londong

    Yaaaassss!
    Just had to record that for posterity as it’s so good.
    “I, too, dislike games playing in Londong.”

  67. 67.

    Corner Stone

    I hate it when guests come on MHP and just obnoxiously talk over everyone else to make some obnoxious ass point. Don’t like it when it’s a vile right wing nutter and I equally dislike it when it’s a strident leftie.

  68. 68.

    redshirt

    @Roger Moore: Further, it’s clear the NFL sends their worst teams to London (cough Jacksonville) because they can. They could never do it for the Giants-Pats-Steelers-Etc.

    Jacksonville has a real complaint about schedule fairness.

  71. 71.

    Corner Stone

    Hmmm, asking the guy from “Open Primaries” if the structure of elections is damaging to the two national parties? One wonders what his answer will be!

  73. 73.

    srv

    Mr. Carson’s manager talks about crazy people:

    I don’t think there’s any reason to put the candidates in two groups,” said Carson’s campaign manager Barry Bennett. “We can put a man on the moon; we can figure out how to put 14 people on the stage. The issue is time and parity, not how many people are on stage. How about turning the microphones on and off when people are supposed to talk? The point of the polling threshold is to keep crazy people offstage, but functionally, it’s keeping elected senators and governors off.”

  77. 77.

    Amir Khalid

    @redshirt:
    That I don’t understand. When you want to make the most of playing a league match abroad, surely you pick a high-profile fixture — the NFL equivalent of a top-of-the-table clash in the EPL, or of a legendary rivalry like the Manchester United vs. City derby.

  78. 78.

    Baud

    @srv:

    That’s pure gold.

    ETA: I agree 100% with Carson. End the kiddie table, and get Jindal and Gilmore and Santorum on the main stage with everyone else.

  79. 79.

    Mike J

    @Amir Khalid:

    or of a legendary rivalry like the Manchester United vs. City derby.

    There was about 35 seconds of good football in that nil nil draw last week.

  80. 80.

    redshirt

    @Amir Khalid:

    That I don’t understand. When you want to make the most of playing a league match abroad, surely you pick a high-profile fixture — the NFL equivalent of a top-of-the-table clash in the EPL, or of a legendary rivalry like the Manchester United vs. City derby.

    Indeed. While in fact it’s the opposite – the worst teams and the worst matchups are sent to London, because no doubt of the clout of the big team’s owners.

    It’s a big deal to lose a home game to London, and not just competitively, but fiscally – loss of concessions, parking, etc. I’m sure the NFL makes this up, somehow, but what does a Jags season ticket holder think when they lose 2 home games to London?

  81. 81.

    Roger Moore

    @Amir Khalid:

    When you want to make the most of playing a league match abroad, surely you pick a high-profile fixture

    Only if you’re catering to a sophisticated audience. If you’re assuming the fans are going to be excited by the novelty aspect and wouldn’t appreciate great play if they saw it, you’d send the second-rate teams and keep the top contests for the fans at home who would will enjoy them more.

  82. 82.

    Amir Khalid

    @Mike J:
    But it’s still a LEGENDARY LOCAL RIVALRY, and the NFL can market the crap out of that, even if the match itself is disappointing.

  84. 84.

    Roger Moore

    @srv:

    The point of the polling threshold is to keep crazy people offstage, but functionally, it’s keeping elected senators and governors off.

    If the goal were to keep crazy people offstage, they’d display empty lecterns for two hours. The goal is to avoid vanity candidates with no plausible hope of winning so that the serious candidates have more time to speak. You can question the success of that, but it’s not an unreasonable goal.

  85. 85.

    Corner Stone

    @schrodinger’s cat:

    Aren’t most shows on cable like that though, where people shout over each other.

    I’m sure there are a lot of shows like that, and that’s why I don’t watch them. IMO, the MHP show consistently has thoughtful segments covering a significant amount of material that is not getting other airtime. It also has topics covered by a variety of people I would most likely never be exposed to otherwise, and those viewpoints are sometimes interesting for me to consider.
    So when she has a shouty on it is very frustrating. I agree with Susan DelPercio on a vanishingly small number of items but let her finish her BS point and then give it a good head noogie.

  87. 87.

    burnspbesq

    @redshirt:

    Lazy-ass NFL fans. Every ersatz “English pub” in SoCal is packed to the gills at 4:30 a.m. on Saturday for the “lunchtime” Premier League fixture.

  90. 90.

    burnspbesq

    @Amir Khalid:

    Speaking of the EPL — Liverpool club Everton FC have hammered Sunderland 6-2 in the first of the two Sunday matches.

    That was fun. Lukaku’s outside-of-the-left-foot cross to set up Kone’s third goal should be short-list for play of the year.

  91. 91.

    burnspbesq

    @redshirt:

    Mexico City is almost 8,000 feet altitude and some of the worst air pollution anywhere outside Beijing. Horrible playing conditions.

    The NFL is committed to London long term. The games will move from Wembley to Spurs’ new stadium in north London when it opens in 2018, and I think they have committed to two games a year until 2024.

  92. 92.

    burnspbesq

    @redshirt:

    During the 2002 World Cup, every time South Korea played (typically at 3:00 a.m. or so), they sold out Staples Center for viewing parties.

    We take our football seriously out here.

  93. 93.

    redshirt

    @burnspbesq: The Cowboys will be playing in Mexico in the next 3 years. Followed by Cardinals and Chargers and Texans.

    But your points still stand. I wonder if they’ll choose a location just outside Mexico City.

  95. 95.

    geg6

    We’re having oven BBQed ribs tonight. John makes a killer BBQ sauce which is bubbling away on the stove as I type. Yum! Garlic and sour cream mashed potatoes, corn and roasted carrots round out the entrée, with a nice Pinot noir and cheesecake for dessert.

    GO STEELERS!

  96. 96.

    Germy Shoemangler

    @Iowa Old Lady: Over at LGM they’re talking about right wing folks and their plan to criticize Hillary Clinton “from the left”.

    “It can diminish enthusiasm for Hillary among the base over time,” he said. “And if you diminish enthusiasm, lukewarm support can translate into lackluster fund-raising and perhaps diminished turnout down the road.”

    The first two reader comments were interesting:

    Derelict: “Does this mean that the eventual Republican nominee will be running on a platform of raising the top marginal tax rate to 65%, instituting single-payer healthcare, developing a reparations program for Blacks and Native Americans, slashing the defense budget, and guaranteeing universal suffrage?”

    Rea: “No. It means that they are willing to fund someone to run against Hillary by advocating those positions, whether in the primary or as a third party in the general, so that the R wingnut candidate can win.”

    It hit me suddenly that this would make an excellent screwball comedy film. Somewhat like “The Producers” except in this version a gang of RW operatives raises money for a far-left challenger to a centrist democratic candidate.

    Hilarity ensues when the left-wing challenger becomes a big hit! Wins by a landslide!

    Any screenwriters out there want to knock out a script? It practically writes itself.

    Instead of “The Producers” we could call it “The Ratf***ers”

  98. 98.

    p.a.

    I’m not too concerned about steroid-pumped, HGH filled American footballers’ exposure to Mexico City’s air pollution.

  99. 99.

    Corner Stone

    The Vickstillers went 2 – 2 while Ben has been out. Why in the world would you hurry to bring him back against a really active Bengals’ D? They next have home games with Raiders, Browns and a Bye. That’s four weeks being at home.
    I’d have him sit this game and then maybe come back against Raiders.

  100. 100.

    redshirt

    @Corner Stone:

    The Vickstillers went 2 – 2 while Ben has been out. Why in the world would you hurry to bring him back against a really active Bengals’ D? They next have home games with Raiders, Browns and a Bye. That’s four weeks being at home.
    I’d have him sit this game and then maybe come back against Raiders.

    You’re dumb.

    Can someone let CS know his hot take here is dumb?

  101. 101.

    patrick II

    My home team, the Bears, are not shown on TV here locally (VA). So, I am about to go to a sports bar and spend perfectly good money to find out to whom Cutler will throw a key interception (most likely in the end zone) today.

  102. 102.

    gene108

    I wonder why the Canadians never tried to export their brand of football to the U.K.?

    Canada was still some sort of British colony all the way to the 1980’s, so you’d think they’d have closer ties to the U.K. for cultural exchanges.

  103. 103.

    Anoniminous

    @patrick II:

    If it’s not being shown on local TV how can the sports bar show it?

    (Anoniminous <– unaware of all sports bar TV traditions.)

  106. 106.

    patrick II

    Even if you don’t watch Sunday Morning on CBS, you will find it fun to check out the skate boarding bulldog on a segment this morning. He didn’t just ride the board, but would paddle along with his paws to accelerate or go down stairs. He was a pretty fair skate boarder by any standard. He also did “skimming” at the beach, and also surfed. Sadly, he passed away recently, so it was an homage, but fun nonetheless.

  107. 107.

    dr. luba

    @Roger Moore:

    It’s unfair to the fans, who have their favorite team playing at an inconveniently early hour. It’s even worse for the fans of the “home” team, who lose out on one of a limited number of chances to watch their favorite team in person.

    I think the Lions would be perfect, then, for a several week run in London, and I say this as a life-long Detroiter.

  108. 108.

    Roger Moore

    @gene108:

    I wonder why the Canadians never tried to export their brand of football to the U.K.?

    I think they’re less keen on the whole cultural imperialism business than the Americans are. Besides, if they’re going to spend energy on exporting a Canadian sport to the rest of the world, it’s going to be hockey.

  109. 109.

    gene108

    @dr. luba:

    I think the Lions would be perfect, then, for a several week run in London, and I say this as a life-long Detroiter.

    What happened to the Lions this year? They have enough talent to make a play off run, but they are really underperforming.

  110. 110.

    gene108

    @Roger Moore:

    I think they’re less keen on the whole cultural imperialism business than the Americans are. Besides, if they’re going to spend energy on exporting a Canadian sport to the rest of the world, it’s going to be hockey.

    Hockey’s already been exported.

    I guess they decided to work on Curling, as they got it to be an Olympic sport.

  111. 111.

    redshirt

    @gene108:

    What happened to the Lions this year? They have enough talent to make a play off run, but they are really underperforming.

    Great talent wasted by atrocious coaching.

  112. 112.

    shell

    Have some mobility issues this year, so just put out a big bowl of candy with a sign, “Hey Kids, help yourselves.” They apparently took me at my word; by 6 oclock it was empty. Had an old bag of stick-on tattoos; put those in the bowl. They went too.

    Missed ‘The Fearless Vampire Killers’ yesterday, so streaming it from the TCM site.

  113. 113.

    mkd

    Just finished a big batch of spicy roasted butternut squash soup courtesy a Chowhound recipe with spicy tweaks. This recipe adds in a granny smith an onion and sage plus S&P but I added roasted garlic and carrot and fresh nutmeg, cardamon, thyme and marjoram then a good dash of cayenne and of cumin and a good pinch of ground ginger. So it is finishes as sweet, smoky and spicy. I wasn’t planning on making this soup today until owners of our local, and very good, Thai/Japanese/Indonesian restaurant surprised us last night with three very large squash at the end of our weekly dinner date there. I am guessing a local customer with a truck garden surprised them with a gift of squash and they really were sharing the bounty . The soup will be frozen- sans the cream add in finish -to make it onto our Thanksgiving table.

  116. 116.

    Corner Stone

    Glad to see Clowndog almost made it through the entire first defensive series before being injured.
    Good job by you!

  123. 123.

    ThresherK (GPad)

    @Felonius Monk: Tangential to your comment, the old “move to the desert for your sinuses” has been defeated, in places, by people from the east and midwest planting their polleny temperate plants in much of the “new” desert suburbs to recreate the stuff they had at home.

    Gives a new twist got the term “invasive species”.

  129. 129.

    Botsplainer

    @redshirt:

    They’re playing American rules football at a lot of high schools in Mexico. I’ve seen the lined fields.

    Mexico is ripe for expansion.

  131. 131.

    Corner Stone

    That was a blatant block in the back on that punt return. The refs haven’t been hesitant about throwing their silk around, so wtf?

  133. 133.

    Davebo

    @redshirt:

    The Texans are a dumpster fire no doubt. But name another NFL franchise that has sold out every single game in their existence? I’m old enough to remember TV blackouts, usually some grocery chain would buy up the remaining tickets to ensure the game was televised.

    Question of the day. What’s a bigger waste of money, $10 in lotto tickets or $10 deposited at FanDuel?

  134. 134.

    redshirt

    @Davebo:

    The Texans are a dumpster fire no doubt. But name another NFL franchise that has sold out every single game in their existence? I’m old enough to remember TV blackouts, usually some grocery chain would buy up the remaining tickets to ensure the game was televised.

    Question of the day. What’s a bigger waste of money, $10 in lotto tickets or $10 deposited at FanDuel?

    Good for Texan fans. No one outside of Houston cares though, not until they are a winner. And JJ Watt has reached saturation.

    I’ve won $130 this year on Draft Kings with $100 deposited, so plus $30 with lots of the season to go. It’s gambling, but it’s not pure gambling like the lotto or slot machines.

  135. 135.

    PurpleGirl

    @Southern Beale: If you’re still reading the thread, what happened with your friend who was involved with helping a cat hoarder? Was she able to find someone or an organization to advise her or the hoarder?

    The rescuer I know in CT has helped several people who were hoarding, at the request of the county animal control office.

  136. 136.

    redshirt

    @Botsplainer:

    They’re playing American rules football at a lot of high schools in Mexico. I’ve seen the lined fields.

    Mexico is ripe for expansion.

    Indeed. And there’s TV contracts to consider, and merchandise sales, etc.

    Games in Mexico would be a huge success. I doubt a team in Mexico could survive, due to currency and tax issues.

  138. 138.

    Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism

    @Corner Stone: blatant block in the back

    Are you talking about the Texans or the Dookies?

    (Last night is one of the few times a team really can say they were robbed by the refs.)

  142. 142.

    Doug R

    @redshirt: They have played games in Toronto and exhibition games in Vancouver before, I wish the Seahawks would follow green bay’s lead and play one or two regular season games in Vancouver.

  144. 144.

    burnspbesq

    The ACC has suspended the entire on-field officiating crew that fucked up the end of the Duke – Miami game, and the replay official, for two games.

    Ya fucking hoo.

    Duke needs to shake this off and get ready to whip some Tarhole ass this week. Beat the Tarholes and Pitt, and avoid screwing up against UVa and Wake, and they win the division.

  147. 147.

    Corner Stone

    @Davebo: 3 and 5, baby! After Colts lose to Panthers tomorrow we will be tied for the lead in AFC South.
    Every thing’s coming up Millhouse!

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