Linda Z

Oldies: Whether VP had sex with young women or with old women, he shouldn't have. Even if some of them consented, he shouldn't have. He wasn't an Old Testament king; he was a minister. There was no kinddom, and the women did not belong to him. Period. Whether the young women were stone-cold sober or drunk on their butts, he shouldn't have. There is nothing in the Bible, nothing, that justifies that behavior. I understand the temptation. I even comprehend how someone could succumb to it, but that doesn't make it right. I'd like to hear some guy who slipped Ecstasy in a girl's drink in a bar and got caught tell the judge, "Hey, I was just trying to loosen her up sexually." Can you imagine what the judge would say?

The announcers drove me nuts. They never shut up. I get that they keep the running patter going, but they were just too much. When the Indians beat the Yankees, it annoyed me that they focused on the Yankees and the Joe Torre controversy more than the celebration in the Indians locker room. I agree, MStar, about their omitting the pregame stuff. It's part of the grand baseball tradition. Probably saved them time for more commercials. I get that the playoff's are a big moneymaker for whichever network is running them, but it doesn't mean a commercial what seems like every 5 minutes isn't aggravating. And who, I wonder, suddenly decided to break the story about Paul Byrd's prescribed use of HGH for a glandular problem. That was known before the eve of game 7 of the playoffs. Bah. I'm in a bad mood. Time to shut up.

Hey Danny, are you serious??? I guess that time you caught a fly ball when we went to your first professional baseball game in Chicago (from Rome City) must have made a fan out of you! I only remember three things about that day: Kitty's son throwing up on the bus, Walt L driving around the South Side of Chicago looking for a gas station that would accommodate a school bus, and you catching that fly ball. Paw, please see the baseball thread in the (ahem) "Keep your eye on the ball" forum for comments on the Sox vs Indians games. Darn newbies. :lol:

Congrats to the Red Sox fans, except for the A-holes who booed my Kenny Lofton toward the end of the game. He didn't do anything wrong, and at the time the Sox were ahead by a mile. Pi$$ed me off. Kicked my guy when he was down. Bah. Sigh. Last night was hard to take...at least Saturday's game went so far into the toilet that I didn't have any hopes to get dashed against the Green Monster. But last night, they fought and struggled and came so close to catching up but just couldn't pull it off. The play that broke my heart was when the 3rd base coach held up Lofton at 3rd. I understand that there was confusion and that he had to make a split-second decision, but owww, that hurt. It probably wouldn't have decided the game, but it sure put a damper on the momentum we had going, so it might have, psychologically. I felt sorry for Kenny and for the coach who made that call. I so wanted Kenny to have a shot at getting a WS ring. I say "maybe next year" with a little more hope this time. We've got some excellent young players who, if the management hangs onto them, should only improve with another year's experience. And Lofton clearly was safe. No sour grapes, because everyone gets bad calls, but it was obvious in the replay. I'm sorry, MStar & Bolshevik, but I have to root for the Rockies--not only because the wounds from our recent trouncings are still fresh, but because I'd like to see a young, enthusiastic team go all the way. Boston's been there, what? Eleven times? Go Browns.

I can't watch it.

Thanks, Rocky. Yes, I think that would be a fantastic b'day present! I went to game 5 of the 1995 WS on my 50th. We won! (Well, we won that game, anyway.) I'd be happy with a belated gift of winning the whole thing this year.

Hey Tom Strange! I just learned tonight that your stRangers used to be the Washington Senators. I never knew that. Amazing what you can learn watching Jeopardy. I wish they'd quit movin' everyone around, because it makes a girl's head spin. (Of course, I really wished that a few years ago when that stinker Art Modell kidnapped our Browns!!) But back to my team. I think Cleveland can do this. I really really do. I hope Fausto Carmona has a really restful sleep tonight and is at the top of his game tomorrow night. He was amazing in game 2; let the deja vu begin!!!

Thanks so much to each and every one of you for helping to make my day special with your birthday wishes. I had forgotten it was my birthday until I logged in here before work. I was so surprised to see my name in big red letters! Really made me chuckle at myself. It's nice to have this place to connect with such great people! :wub: PS to Garth: *thwap* :lol:

OutOfDaFog, I have to thank you for sharing your birthday with me every year. Not many people do that! :D Hope you're birthday's the happiest, that you have many more, and that each one is better than the last!! from your b'day buddy

Who were those guys in the Indians uniforms last night? Beckett's a great pitcher, but it was as if our team wasn't even trying--I didn't see any fire in our guys' eyes. I can only hope that Carmona comes on Saturday night like he did in the second game and that our hitters start hitting again. C'mon guys, just one more game! Of course then they have to face the formidable Rockies, but one hurdle at a time.

Hahahahahahaha Simon. Doesn't matter. We still beat 'em!! One more to go!!!! I love Paul Byrd. Nice humble guy who just puts his heart into it and pitches like crazy. I thought he should have been the MVP for the game he won against the Yankees. I would *love* love love love LOVE (that's for you, Rocky) to see the Indians wrap it up in game 5.

Whew, one game closer! MStar, thank you for the "good luck." I saw that just before the game started and didn't have time to post. I'm sorry we both can't win, but then what fun would it be? Westbrook runs hot and cold so I was a little nervous, but he did us proud. I'm so glad Kenny's back. My son said after the game, "That wasn't as much of a nail biter." And I said to him, "Having just a two-run lead against Boston is still a nail biter!" Gotta give credit where it's due, and Boston has one heck of a team. Again I say, Whew! This Bud's for you, Lifted Up.

*Hahahahahahahahaha*, HAP! I hope the snow stays away for you. It's hard to focus on the game when you're freezing your gotchies off.

Rhino, I've wondered about the psychology of fandom, too. Like why do I care so much about a bunch of guys who make more money in a year than I could ever dream of, throwing a ball around and hitting it with a stick? Since I never aspired to be a baseball player, I think for me it's something else. I have pride in my city, warts an all, and am extremely loyal to it. It's like we're all in this together, even though most of the players aren't from Cleveland and many aren't even from the US of A. They're representing us, and we want them to do well. And waching the games and how the team members interact, we feel as if we know them. Wow, we humans are complex. I love the photo of your uncle, Rhino. How cool it is to have that. Thanks for posting it.

Thank you for your graciousness, MStar. I do appreciate it. I'm with you on these 8 pm starts...I'm still tired from making myself stay awake until the end. I believe the Monday game starts at 7. Of course, if that game goes into extra innings, I could still be up very late on a "school night." One thing about this year's Indians: They don't give up. I give them an A+ for hanging in and hanging on until we went through all their available pitchers and finally put some more runs on the board. So my sympathies, MStar, and congrats to your team anyway. Even though they lost, they sure as heck didn't make it easy. And I smiled when Ortiz helped our player up (I forget who...it was late) when he fell into the photographers' area trying to catch a foul ball. Nice sportsmanship...I always like seeing that. You asked about rituals. I don't really have any, but I have some crazy superstitions. Like, if I leave the room during a game and something bad happens, it's my fault for not "being there" to cheer them on and wring my hands. It's silly, and I know it's silly when I think it, but that doesn't stop me! I feel like I need a night off as much as the players do.

MStar, you're absolutely right about Boston's hitters. You've got some great ones. I miss Manny. Could we have him back? Please? Pretty please? Just for the next coupla weeks? I used to stick up for him when everyone was badmouthing him here in the 90s. He marches to the beat of a different drummer, but he gets the job done, that's for sure! So congrats to your team, MStar. I'm hoping you'll be congratulating me tomorrow! Not only because I want my team to win, but because it will be darn boring if Boston just keeps steamrolling us. Although nerve wracking, the close games against the Yankees were a heck of a lot more exciting than what happened last night.

When the whole firestorm about CES/stf started on GS, I felt as if the two factions of that group were merely using GSC as their platform to (a) stage a coup and (b) counterattack. Plenty of mud was slung in both directions. I'd love to be proven wrong, but so far it looks like I was right. GS was plenty good enough for the CES/stf folks to use to further their political agendas, but now its principals and self-appointed spokespersons seem to think they're too good to muddy their shoes here. And to whoever said all the posts in this CES forum on GS served to do was provide ammo for the lawsuit (lawsuits?), I wouldn't blame that on the GSC regulars. It appears to me that the ammo was provided by the two factions of CES/stf themselves. It's not nice to start a food fight in a cafe and then not even come back to help scrape the pie off the walls or mop up the spilled coffee. If I were Paw, I might be thinking about hanging up the "We have the right to refuse service to anyone" sign and shut this booth down, but then DWBH might never get his answers. Oh, wait. It's looking unlikely that he'll get his answers anyway, isn't it?

The Red Sox certainly spanked us in the first game. It was difficult to watch. CC sure didn't bring his best stuff, and their pitchers kept us from giving him any kind of comfort zone so he'd settle down and do what he can do when he's on his game. Carmona was a lot cooler under pressure than Sabathia against the Yankees, so I'm hoping that trend continues tonight. And Rocky, this is emphasis, or *this* or this. THIS, on the other hand, is considered yelling. Consult any Internet etiquette guidelines. :P

I can't figure out how to copy the image with the grade here, but much to my surprise, I got a B+ (88). I thought I missed a lot more questions than I did. Now, if that were a math quiz instead of a science quiz, I think I'd be too embarrassed to post my score.

Rocky, I have a challenge for you. If you can go one week without YELLing in a post, I'll give you a quarter. Oh heack, I'll splurge. Make it a dollar!

Simon: Your question, to a baseball amateur like myself, sounds a lot like, "If a train leaves Chicago at 6 a.m. traveling west at 150 mph, and a train leaves Butte, Montana, at 1 p.m traveling east at 200 mph, in what city or town will they have a head-on collision?" I know I'm an interloper on this thread, not knowing all the finer points of the game and all. But I promise I'll go away as soon as the Indians have their penant. :D Lifted Up: You've never heard of reincarnation?? I meant to say, "In a former life, in 1953...." My bad.

Lifted, I'm not pessimistic at all. I think they can take the whole thing. I figured they could regain their momentum in game 4, but if they didn't, they might have a hard time with game 5. Pessimist?? Not me! I've been a fan since I was a little girl on my grandpa's knee, watchin' the Indians on a black and white set, with corny "Hey Mabel, Black Label, Carling Black Label Beer" commercials breaking up the action. All these years, all these loooooooooooong and heartbreaking years of almost making it and then getting knocked out of the playoffs. Yet I'm still a diehard fan. No pessimism here. Just a small case of the postseason nerves. Cheering for a team for 50+ years that's never quite made it in all that time does tend to make one jittery. I've earned that right. So let's just say I'm cautiously optimistic. :) You know, it seems like only yesterday that Mom, Dad, Grandma, and I were huddled in the basement during a tornado in '53, while Grandpa was upstairs in the living room, sitting in the dark in front of a blank TV in his red leather chair, banging his cane on the floor and yelling, "Bring back the Indians, damn it!" We figured he'd go the way of Dorothy and Toto, but he lived to cheer and curse his team another day. So when I cheer on my team, I'm thinking of Grandpa and how much he'd have loved to see a team like the 2007 Indians. We'll see about those BoSox, Rocky.

Rocky, I neither respect nor disrespect the D'Backs. I've never watched one of their games, so I have no basis for an opinion. (But I do know I'm not fond of rattlesnakes!!) As for Regis, I suppose he knows as much as anyone who tries to predict the outcome in the postseason. I don't think he has to be a baseball expert to voice an opinion, and I happened to like his opinion.

I wasn't around GS. I was glued to my non-HD, 20+-year-old, perfectly viewable television*, watching intently and yelling at Wedge to get Perez the he|| off the mound. (He made me more nervous than I was at any time during the game.) I figured going into this game that the Indians would either (a) wrap up the series in game 4 or (b) lose it all. I'm glad it was (a)!!! I did hear Regis Philbin predict this morning that the World Series will be the Rockies vs. the Indians. We have to get past the Red Sox first, but I'm hoping for the best!! *I don't get all this new technology. Not worth all the cashola, IMO, but to each his own, I guess. If I can see what's going on, I'm happy. I remember friends getting high-end stereo systems years ago. I'd listen and could tell it was a "richer" sound, but so what? That's sorta how I feel about HD. But then, I still have a VCR hooked up to my main TV and only bought a cheap DVD player for my bedroom TV, so I'm obviously not too concerned with staying up on the latest gizmoes. :P

Sorry I missed this before, Raf. Praying for your sister and your whole family. Miracles still happen.