cryptique

They've got it in Philadelphia, apparently ... not that that's all that close, but if you ever get down that way...

Seriously, are you finding a list that goes beyond 5000? I have a few names I'd like to look up that aren't in the top 5K.

It could just be the ACL performance, but I'm hoping it'll be something else.

Well, yeah. There were definitely coverups and lots of lying. But it was all after-the-fact stuff, rather than sinister-conspiracy stuff.

Bocachica?

...or BBCode, anyway.

It's tinfoil-hat conspiracy theory of the looniest kind. I've sifted through a fair amount of the information on the web about this (though it's been a few years now, so my memory of it's not the best) and it's pretty much bunk. There are a few weird coincidences here and there, but much of it is wild conjecture or flat-out inaccurate, fixing the "facts" to fit the theory.

The punishments handed out so far for steroid use haven't been all that severe. No real deterrent, I would think. Here's a list. I don't see a lot of deterrent there.

We'll see what happens to the other players whose names surface from the Mitchell investigation. Bonds is under indictment for perjury and obstruction of justice, but I haven't heard any talk of punishment for him based on his use of performance-enhancing drugs. If those other players start getting banned from the game, then yeah, maybe it'll make a difference. But I don't think Selig is the right commissioner for that sort of action. (Just another reason on top of the already huge stack of reasons that Selig needs to go.) I would too.

I won't presume to speak for gary, but what I mean by "nothing will have changed" is that players will continue to use performance-enhancing drugs despite the fallout of the Bonds case and the Mitchell report. Until MLB develops an effective test for HGH, and stiffens its testing procedures for 'roids and other drugs, I don't think the current high-profile cases are going to have much of an effect on the actual problem. The allure of huge contracts is awfully hard to resist.

Of course, one of the roots of all of this (perhaps the main one) is money. With the ludicrous contracts being thrown around these days, why wouldn't you take steroids and HGH in the hope that you might sign a six-year, $60 million deal? Just put in one good year with 30-plus home runs and 100 RBI (preferably during the last year of your contract) and you'll be a millionaire for life. Baseball was a better game when players had to get jobs in the off-season to make ends meet. Yes, that's a bit of bullshit nostalgia for an era that I wasn't even around for, but I'm starting to think it's also

We're catching up on season 3 right now via Netflix, and can't wait to get started on the current season (maybe the writers' strike will let us start at the beginning?). The disc we just finished (season 3, disc 2 I think) has a segment in the bonus section called "Toby wraparounds" that has some great stuff. Toby has become one of my favorite characters, and this segment elevates him even more.

It's barely been a week -- give it some time. If those shows were taped, they may yet show up.

No, you don't. You strongly believe those things, and you interpret the available evidence, rather logically I would agree, to conclude those things -- but you don't "know 100%."

Me neither, and yet it's #2823 on the list.

Nah. I don't think Nels is playing any sort of Jay Bennett role -- he's just a shit-hot guitarist, and Jeff clearly likes to surround himself with fantastic musicians (e.g., Glenn), so I doubt there's a jealousy problem.

He never looked quite that ghey in the books.

The Bills never snapped the ball inside the Patriots' red zone? Damn. The Pats only have two more road games (Ravens & Giants) and I just don't see them losing either of those. So someone's going to have to beat them at home if they're going to derail the perfect season. The Steelers seem like the best chance, but I still just don't see it. I think we're looking at 19-0. That game last night was frightening.

The original one on William, right? Wow, you're bold. I wouldn't go near that place after a game, but then, I do not enjoy large crowds much (same reason I no longer go to the games themselves). Zingerman's is a mess on gamedays too. I'll believe Les Miles as the new U-M coach when I see it.

Yeah, this is a good way to do things. I often confuse it with Half.com (which also rules).

I should be gearing up to vote for Paul Wellstone.

I'd like to see them clean house and start over. Some people have mentioned Ron English (current def. coord.) as a possible successor, but I haven't been overly impressed with his results lately (I mean, come on, at some point you have to figure out how to defend against a spread option). I'd be extremely surprised if Miles came north, especially since he's probably going to win a national championship in a month and a half. As for actual candidates ... Tedford's not a bad idea. I can't really think of anyone else at the moment. I just hope they've learned from the Charlie Weis example and

Holy shit! I'm really sad I missed Stevie's Detroit-area show ... I don't think I heard about it until it was too late.

Enjoyable (except for ND fans) Stewart Mandel column about Charlie Weis. That was posted on Thursday. He makes some interesting points about the difficulties NFL-bred coaches face in adjusting to the college game.

Two of my favorites: Miles of Music Parasol I've also been known to order from here, but it's been a few years now: Not Lame For used discs, I've gone here: SecondSpin Also, I second Half.com ... that place surprises me sometimes.