Lobowolf

Not really the question, though, because there are hands that are too weak to open 1♠, and shouldn't be opened 2♠ not because they're "too strong," but because they're unsuitable. Yes, even some hands containing six spades.

Yes. Trying for a little Onion.com humor. I think you succeeded.

now we have a quake in Venezuela... i'll wait for pat to check with cheney to see why this one happened That's an easy one...Hugo Chavez banned the sale of Coke Zero.

Because even a mediocre mixed doubles tennis player makes millions?

How good are my opponents? How about combining the chances of 1) Diamond T with RHO; 2) Diamond Q with LHO; and 3) RHO grabs the Q or tanks when a diamond comes off dummy.

Chicago (Bulls) +6.5 Arizona (Wildcats) +2.5 Auburn (Tigers) +14 Basketball qualifies as "or not" real football.

we have talked about the real football :) If it's "real" football, how come the goalie gets to use his hands?

I'll take the 3%

I'm a little bit surprised by that, myself, though I did think that rumors of the Republicans' demise had been greatly exaggerated. When things aren't going well economically, it's bad news for the party in power, and it's a binary system. That's not going to change anytime soon. Having said that, I did expect that just about all of the negativity would be attributed to Bush for a couple of years. The downside of extreme hope is unrealistic expectations. By this, I'm not referring to any lucid, rational Obama supporters who may think that things are moving for the better at a reasonable pace, but rather the less thoughtful ones who thought he was going to push a magic button and fix everything by last February.

Bill Buckner? Keith Hernandez?

Phil knew, but that's about it. Clee must have narced me out. They kicked our chit, too. Rumors of my existence are greatly exaggerated.

Did you know, by the way, that Mark McGwire had a higher career on-base percentage than Willie Mays? On any given at bat, over the course of their careers, Mays was more likely to make an out than McGwire.

There's some good statistic work with respect to defense that goes way beyond fielding percentage (e.g. the "range factor" which takes into account the potential problem you mention about not getting to, or trying for, many balls). Position adjustments are important, also (and have been deciphered, to a large extent), e.g. Alomar, as a very good defensive middle infielder vs. Dawson, as a very good defensive outfielder. Batting average vs. RBI is also reasonably well decipherable via a "Runs Created" method largely pioneered by James (as was the Range Factor). There are a few different Runs Created formulas, but they all do a pretty good job of contextualizing offensive stats between people whose strengths differ (e.g. power hitters vs. guys who are good at getting on base). Different eras have also been normalized to a large extent. Different length careers is a bit of a judgment call; it doesn't really require statistical normalization, but different people have different ideas in the HOF discussion about whether it's better to be good for 20 years or great for 10. I think it's impossible to quantify stuff like "First black," or being deaf, or leadership; the stuff that could conceivably be quantified, though (Good-fielding, high-on base percentage shortstop vs. great-fielding power hitting first baseban) has been quantified REALLY well by James and those who have come after him. I'd highly recommend any of the annual old Baseball Abstracts as very entertaining, very enlightening reading.

We just finished our 25th season which I was lucky enough to win. Of course I love the Hawk but it was pointed out to me that Bobby Abreu is a much better ball player and no one mentions him for the Hall. I think the fact that Hawk got an MVP, one he did not deserve to win, helped him alot. Everyone wanted ozzy in the hall as the greatest fielding shortstop ever but what about the greatest fielding first baseman...etc? Who would you have given the MVP to that year? I thought he was pretty clear.

Amen, brother.

http://www.amazon.com/Bill-James-Historica...t/dp/0684806975

I think Dawson is a HOF'er also, but Alomar is a markedly easier call.

Andre Dawson and not Roberto Alomar? That ain't right.

Yeah, in the example I meant more for the actual national events where you need to prequalify. I was trying to give examples of where you can't just walk up and say "put me in this event" without going in to the arbitrary nature of what Mark described of random play up or not. I know you can play multiple flights in GNT because last year I was eligible for GNT C, played in it with one team and failed to qualify (3rd straight year of district 3/4 in GNT C qualifiers), but played with a different team and won the district GNT B. So thank goodness for being able to play up. :) The GNT isn't really "playing up" in that way moving into a different KO bracket is. Flight B of the GNT has a "top end" masterpoint requirement, but not a bottom end one; if you don't have too many points for Flight B, you're explicitly eligible, even if you would also qualify for Flight C.

I've never played it in a serious partnership, but I did pick up Jassem's book on the Polish Club, and I found it very readable and pretty well put-together.

How so? Recently, we have sent fighter planes and drones and bombs and invading forces along with teams of kidnappers and torturers into various nations in the Middle East. In the past, we helped overthrow governments, propped up dictators, placed foreign troops on what were considered "holy lands", armed Israel and backed every action they have taken, regardless. How does that pertain to naming them?

How so?

"The controlling question in the case is this: upon the facts stated in Milligan's petition and the exhibits filed, had the military commission mentioned in it jurisdiction legally to try and sentence him? Milligan, not a resident of one of the rebellious states or a prisoner of war, but a citizen of Indiana for twenty years" From Ex Parte Milligan, emphasis added.

The password is: "Unlawful Enemy Combatant." Just a little 70's game show flashback for y'all.

Mexico City, '68