PLAYOFFS?! Playyyoffs?!

I have a question:

I have two tickets to the Ravens/Patriots game and they are pretty good seats. Is it even worth going to? I'm not really a crazy Ravens fan, so its not like I'm dying to go. But since the Pats are SO GOOD and we are SO BAD, I'm not sure if it's really worth it. However in the back of my head I'm thinking how funny would it be if the Ravens some how pulled a win out of this game. It'll never happen, but what if it did and I stayed home? I'd be kicking myself later! Just wondering what I should do!!!!!!

Any advice?

It did work well when they had Fanfest at Camden Yards last year, but why not do both, one at the Convention Center in the winter and then another at OPACY right before the season starts?

Last year wasn't a bad format for Fan Fest, but it certainly left a bit to be desired. For starters it's flipping FREEZING in March in case they forgot!!! Considering a large majority of the people attending Fanfest are also going to be suffering through the Opening Day cold two days later, it's not exactly a selling point to the event. And for the most part the players are distracted by the impending start of the season, all the offseason moves have been made and there isn't anything to "catch up" on, etc.

I guess I'm just one of those people who really liked having it in January, because it helped to break up the winter a little better. But I guess at this point beggars can't be choosers.

Roch

Going back to your comments about Gary Matthews. I was in Long Beach CA this weekend and you would think a deal to send Matthews and Santana for Tejada is a done deal, if they lose the Cabrera sweepstakes. They were already talking about where he would hit in the line up!

Oh, one more minor complaint about Fanfest and then I'm done --- having it in March means there will be no "Baby Birds" in attendence and it would have been nice for the fans to get a chance to see some of the new recruits like Weiters, Arrieta, etc.

*ahem* There won't BE any Ravens playoff games.

Does the divorce have anything to do with Jr's DWI arrest?

Roch,

What happend to your "Tracking the Terps" coverage? Last weekend was a big game and the Sun was missing in action. Dinch wasn't great but at least she gave us some coverage.

Roch: You might want to find someway to define your sarcastic comments for those who don't pick up on it well in writing. I thought the playoffs comment was funny though.

Jennifer: That's the same thing I was thinking. I have ticket for next Monday's game and I'm wishing there was more of a reason to go than just to catch a glimpse of Tom Brady.

Roch, so does that mean we can make fun of you for all of your failed relationships too?

Thanks Beerman--that was hysterical!

Questions re: Hogan:
Who will get custody of their 10,000 hulking Hulkamaniacs?

Way back when, I did an Evening Magazine story which featured Hulk vs. Gorilla Monsoon. Still very funny. Was before WWF, when Phil Zacko (sp?) was running the show around Balt/DC.
I slow-mo'd some of the moves. Hilarious. I love the Samoans and the little old lady at ringside.

Enjoy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0opU_wz0j34

p.s. the painting of Hulk at the end is by an ex-wife of mine. She sold it.

"Remember to take your vitamins and say your prayers....and sign a pre-nup"
HH post '07

Going back to a previous post, there will not be a salary cap or any sort of salary setup in the near future, particularly if, (as is suggested in this Yahoo! Article (URL made small to spare everyone): http://tinyurl.com/2kgumv), total player payroll has actually decreased in terms of percentage of revenue. The league is making record amounts in revenue, and yet, as hard as it seems, the players aren’t necessarily reaping the benefits (though we won’t shed any tears). The salary numbers are almost meaningless to us by now, or should be. $10 million, $15 million, $20 million. Yeah, it’s staggering to us, but they’ve been staggering for a long time, and these numbers are what they are because of the competition created by the market.

But spending big money on the free agent market isn’t the only way to create a winning team. You see it in the teams that have been making the playoffs the last few years. Not being able to spend money is the excuse of losing teams.

The teams that aren’t making the playoffs have been suffering from mismanagement and poor use of resources. The Orioles spent over $90 million in payroll last season and got 69 wins out of it. They were about 25 games out of the playoffs. If they had spent $50 million more, would they have closed up that gap significantly or just found 50 million more ways to use their money poorly? Yeah, they may play in a tough division whose top two teams happen to spend a lot of money, but it’s been a decade since we’ve seen anything resembling competent front office management around here.

Jim66: I would add that in the NFL, there is a salary cap yet that still doesn’t prevent some teams from their own stupidity. Teams like Detroit and Arizona are regular losers.

Tracy: Good Point! I think I'm gonna suck it up and go! I would really be kicking myself if I stayed home and the Ravens walked away with a win. (I mean come on, we're due for a win)
Sorry, but that would be the funniest thing I've seen all year... actually No, the 30-3 O's score was the funniest. But the Pats losing to the Ravens would be second on my list.

"so popular that they decided to stay with the same format" sounds a lot like a p.r. line from the team. i think the people it was so popular with was the organizers, who had fewer visitors to accommodate and could assign fewer people to staff it. if it were "so" popular, they would have switched it back to the convention center.

i wonder if tickets sold is the actual determining factor, and the real reason is in fact that the number of tickets sold indicated that number of people could be accommodated perfectly at the stadium, because space was being wasted at the convention center.

i'm guessing there is, after all, rent to pay at the convention center, and you can hold it rent free at the stadium, because it's your own facility.

I heard that the Hogans marriage has been on the ropes for years.

Ok I know its lame but its a monday after a long weekend!!

Jennifer,
I am in the same boat as you. I have two club seats. But I am a die hard Ravens fan and dont want to see my team get badly beaten at home. I dont know what to do? Should I go and take the game like man, or not go?

Lets just shoot for the best draft pick. (Andre Woodson)

1) Looks like Hogan's wife will end up with millions of little green Hulkamaniacs to deposit in here bank account.

2) Perhaps the "vitamins" Hogan took under the watchful eye of the WWF gave him too much "shrinkage."

3) Perhaps Hogan's wife just got sick of that leg drop. The guy only had one move.

4) She'd been secretly dating Stephanie McMahon for years. It was time to make it public.

Ben: I would just go. You already know they're going to lose, so at least you won't get your hopes up.

I just found out that the Ravens might be honoring my friend, who was injured in Iraq, either before or during halftime, so I WANT to go for him. He's getting the best seats in the stadium.... RIGHT ON THE FIELD!
(They filmed a commercial with him for the Heroes at Home organization. It aired last night by the way during Extreme Home Makeover.. love that show)

Anyways, I say go. Ya never know with our Ravens. Maybe Tom Brady comes down with a horrible cold and can't throw as well. HAHHA!

I read an article this morning regarding steroids and the "Mitchell" report. The subject referred to the possibility of foreign players being denied visas to the US if they are named in the report. Specifically, my question refers to M. Tejada. If his name is in the report (as all physical evidence indicates it should be), does this hinder the Os from trading him before the report comes out. Additionally, why is MLB possibly delaying the release of the report until after the Winter Meetings. It would seem to me that they would want to release the report prior to the meetings in order to have fair discussions between teams? Lastly, if any players, not just Tejada, are named and subsequently barred from entering the US, can the team terminate the contract and or trades between players that are banned?

I'm looking forward to Fan Fest so I can have a few words with Mr. Huff.

MJ, share the love, can you give us a link to the article?

Does anyone with an ounce of common sense believe that Selig is not well informed on what the Mitchell report contains....

The Ravens are not very good this year. That said, I can see the Patriots game being one that they can win. I think that there is enough character on this team and in the coaching staff to pull out a victory. Do I think they will? I don't know, but I don't believe that this game is a gimme for the Patriots; they will have to earn it, and Brady will miss the Pittsburgh game if the Patriots try to run up the score.

After wrestling with with trouble for some time, the Hulkster decided there was no escape and left the ring. Hogan blame him? Too many reversals. Just title this one, "not saved by the bell". Mania husband would have left earlier. Let's not pin this one on the Hulkster. Dude - you were over matched - go have a few belts on us. And don't let those paparazzi corner you - we don't need a pectoral of the whole thing. Keep it civil - no one wants a knock-down dragout confrontation. Alimoney you made will come in handy now. And the house? I suggest split titles.

mj - My guess is that they are going to discuss the report at the winter meetings, hence, the delay.

I think it would be naive to assume that the contents of the report are a mystery to at least the owners. It is also probably already known to the GM's as well.

If Tejada's name came up on the report it would be a huge upset. You do not play in 162 consecutive games for 7 seasons if you are on steroids. I know a lot of people seem to be convinced that Tejada uses or used steroids, but where is the evidence? I mean, other than that you just do not like the guy? There has been no Brady Anderson explosion in his career, he has not missed games for steroid-typical injuries (he just hasn't missed games at all!!!), his hat and shoe size appear to be the same....

While anything is possible, the part of the new drug policy that I think will have the biggest impact on him is the ban on greenines.

The Mitchell report, however, has no legal status and is not the equivalent of a conviction. In fact, if baseball is refusing to take action against players named in the report - as appears to be the case - you have to wonder why they are even bothering. Essentially, it will be a document of accusations. Still, being named in the report is not the same as a conviction. I bet it is unlikely a player would have visa trouble from the report alone. But I bet the trial lawyers are about to get a boost in business.

From the NY Times on the visa issue:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/25/sports/baseball/25chass.html?em&ex=1196139600&en=5be820c348469aae&ei=5087%0A

It actually seems to say there will not be problems.....

Tom D.
It sounds like you have some legal background. I am not sure how you derived out of the article that "there will not be problems"?

From your statement, should I assume that B. Anderson used steroids and had a bigger head and feet?

Also, keep in mind that B. Bonds has just been indicted. No one thought that would happen.

If you lie to a customs agent, is that grounds for denial? Personally, I don't know. Keep in mind that all e-mail correspondance is recorded, and that is how most of the transactions by players (at least that we know of) are made?

Correct me if I am wrong?

Tom D.
I forgot to add that you do play in 162 games for seven straight years if you are on steroids. It is once you are off the steroids that you start to get hurt. How many games did Miggy play last year? How many home runs in Camden Yards did he have last year? Lastly, speaking of how he looks, he has lost alot of mass in my opinion. As far as not liking Miggy, I liked him when he showed passion, but don't play me stupid like Raffy, Jason, Brady, Jay, Gary and Jerry tried to do!

Tom D,

Go back and look at Rafael Palmeiro's career.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/stats?playerId=1764

He only sat against "tough lefties", no injury history from '95-'04. Known steroid user, failed drug test.

Tom D,

I don't know how you can read that article and say that "it seems to say that there will not be problems".

Wow!

mj - I do not think you understand about the affects of steroids on athletes.

Steroids cause the muscle to grow but not the bones and ligaments. If you are using steroids you are susceptible to tears and stress fractures because the bones and tendons cannot support the stress the new muscle puts on them.

You do not need to be a doctor to know this, you just have to read. All of this is available on the net. You don't want to know, however, because it works against your theory that Miggy is a steroid abuser.

He missed 29 games last year mostly because he had a broken wrist from being HIT BY A PITCH. If you can figure out a way to connect that to steroid abuse you deserve a Nobel Prize for Medicine!

If you read the Times article you will notice that a US Counselor in the native country is responsible for granting a visa. As the article states, he has no access to information about a player being suspended from baseball or being on the Mitchell report.

Lying to a customs agent is a different matter. If a player was CONVICTED of lying to a customs agent by a court of law that is one thing. Saying Tejada lied to a customs agent because he brought B-12 into the country, as you have, is different.

Other than yours, show me an accusation by a responsible party that Tejada lied to a customs agent.

Again, you need a prescription to PURCHASE liquid B-12 in the US but there is NO prohibition against possessing, using or bringing it into the country for personal use.

Finally, I know this topic might be too close to you to see a pun or some humor, but come on! Maybe the line about the shoes and the hat was a joke? No?

Finally, Au contraire - it is popular to say no one saw Bonds being indicted. But an Atty General does not re-impanel a Grand Jury for yuks. The fact that the investigation of Bonds never closed was a clear message about what was coming. The shock is that people WERE surprised.

But there is no Grand Jury investigating anyone else and indictments do not drop out of the air.

I doubt the Mitchell report has anything the Feds do not already have. Why would they suddenly get excited after it is released? Anything they attempt will be compromised by the release of the report, anyway. You know that nasty stuff about due process and individual's rights.....

Wow, I choked! Playoffs? Hopefully layoffs (um like the coach)

Can I refer to your paragraph six? "Saying Tejada lied to a customs agent because he brought B-12 into the country, as you have, is different." I have not lied about anything. Have I said anything about b-12? Where are you getting your info? LOL!

I wonder if Huff will autograph a Jenna Jameson DVD for me. Odds are he won't be there.

For years, the Ravens organization has continued the mantra that they have the best fans in the NFL. I have consistently told my friends that the fans in Baltimore are fair weather, and will abandon the team once they start to lose again (and a note to delusional fans - this is the NFL - so they will have losing seasons). Now that the Ravens are going on a skid, people on this comment board are already questioning whether they should go to games.

If you love your team, you go and cheer for them - win or lose. Evidently Ravens fans only cheer if they are winning. Thanks for proving my point.

I bet Mrs Hogan has been having an affair with Col Klink & Hogan found out.

The Hulkster and all of us loyal Hulkamanaics are befuddled over Mrs. Hogans decisison to leave the Hulkster. Hulk created her and everything she is and now she is taking advantage of the situation. She is a horrible, selfish woman and I am done with her, period!!!!