BERIGAN

Ehhh, you get used to it after a while. Believe me, I speak from experience here! Oh you guys, just shut up!!! At least your teams don't look like a last place team.....Next year, the Braves will probably battle the Phillies for last place.(Funny, the Phillie are playing fairly well right now)

....I would be happy if both of them left for Iraq today!!! m~ As would Bill... Gee, if she is anything like this "bust"..... http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews....&src=rss&rpc=22

Did they change to article up? I don't see a mention of Tommy John surgery....

Even dead people can't escape AOL By David Sheets ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH 08/04/2006 Maxine Gauthier doesn't own a computer. She doesn't know the first thing about Web browsing or sending e-mail. She's not even sure where to find a computer's "on" button, as she describes it. Yet for the past nine months, she has been fighting one of the most persistent and some say irritating institutions in cyberspace: AOL, formerly known as America Online. "They just haven't wanted to let go," the 55-year-old St. Louisan said. "I don't think they'll ever really let go." Her struggle has involved about a dozen phone calls often ending with an AOL customer service representative or manager hanging up on her. She even tried impersonating someone else in a couple of the calls. The giant online service provider wouldn't budge. The problem? An AOL account once held by Gauthier's late father still showed billing charges accumulating against it. The account had been dormant for months; the credit card he used for it was inactive at least as long. Nevertheless, AOL kept charging $25.90 each month for dial-up online access. Late fees for non-payment accumulated on the credit card, too. Gauthier even offered to send a copy of her father's obituary as proof he truly was dead. AOL was unmoved. "An AOL service guy told me to stop complaining and learn to use a computer," she said. "Then he hung up." Customer service hell Gauthier's experience with AOL mirrors that of millions who have tried to discontinue their dial-up or other service, only to encounter stonewalling or outright verbal abuse from the company's customer service agents. The Dulles, Va.-based company, with more than 17 million customers, was once the leading online service provider. But it has bled customers in recent years -- it lost almost 1 million customers between May and June alone -- as more people have moved away from dial-up service toward faster, more dependable broadband Internet connections. Most of AOL's $1 billion in profits continues to come from subscriptions to dial-up service, a market it still dominates. Another factor in AOL's decline has been the increase in free services elsewhere online, such as e-mail and ad blocking, that AOL provided at a cost. The company announced Wednesday that it was dropping many of these charges but would continue charging fees for dial-up service. Yet, neither the Internet's transition to broadband nor the increase in Web-based freebies has damaged AOL's bottom line in recent weeks quite as much as its lamentable customer service, now a punch line on late-night television and in cyberspace. Thank Vincent Ferrari for that. The New York blogger and former AOL loyalist used to spend his time online exclusively at AOL's Web portal. He even met his wife there. But broadband beckoned and Ferrari's AOL usage declined to nearly zero. He decided to end the relationship. Ferrari had heard that breaking up with AOL was difficult to do -- customer service agents allegedly employed every trick short of threats to keep people from dropping out -- so he recorded his call to customer service and posted it on his Web site. The acrimonious result made huge news online and on television, and inspired a flood of responses. Immediately, AOL clients everywhere recounted their own bad experiences on blogs, TV and radio. Gauthier saw all this and was inspired. She nearly had given up her own fight. "I saw that I wasn't the only one with trouble. So, that's why I called you," she told Tech Talk. "Shut up and listen" When Gauthier's father, Melvin Berkowitz, died last summer, he was living in Florida and had one credit card. Its only charges were to AOL. Gauthier's mother, Marion Berkowitz, now 80, and still living in Florida, had her name on the account but never used it. Gauthier discovered the continuing dial-up service charge as she was settling her father's estate. She first called to cancel the AOL account last November. "They told me I didn't have the answer to his 'security question'," a query many shopping Web sites once employed to assure themselves they were talking to the account holder, "so they said 'Thank you' and hung up," Gauthier said. She turned to the credit card company and asked that it stop accepting the charges. "They told me they needed a letter first from AOL saying the account was inactive," Gauthier said. Another call to AOL, which promised Gauthier it would send the letter immediately. That was in December. "But I never heard any word," she said. "And these charges kept appearing on the credit card statement." She kept calling AOL, trying to find out more about the letter. AOL countered by saying it never received a request to send it. With each subsequent call, AOL became more curt with Gauthier. During one exchange, "the guy - I think it was a manager - just told me to 'shut up and listen to what I have to say or don't bother calling.' Then he hung up on me," she said. Gauthier even resorted to pretending she was her mother, because her mother's name also was on the credit card statement. "No luck. They just kept asking me for the answer to the security question," Gauthier said. A nice guy named Ben Through the spring and early summer, Gauthier made no progress. The charges -- and now, credit card late fees -- kept mounting, totaling at least $200. After Ferrari's experience with AOL became public, she pressed harder, thinking the bad publicity might loosen AOL's grip. In June, she called again. This time, AOL insisted that her father's account had not been active since January, and AOL had not charged Melvin Berkowitz's credit card since. The credit card statements since January, however, said otherwise. Gauthier again called the credit card company. In early July, she received two letters from it. The first said the charges were fraudulent. The second said they weren't. "That's when I gave up and called your Tech Talk column," she said. We tried contacting AOL using all the customer service numbers Gauthier had used. Initially, AOL's headquarters in Virginia didn't answer our messages, so we tried the general customer service number. Within seven minutes, Tech Talk was speaking to Ben, based at an AOL customer service center in Albuquerque, N.M. Ben, in fact, was very nice. "A few bad apples" "If (a customer calls) and gets an AOL rep such as myself, we have to cancel that account at their request," Ben said, explaining procedure. "We have to honor that request. So, there is no ulterior motive or agenda on us to not cancel, really. "It changed recently where, you know, we have to cancel immediately," Ben continued. "We can offer them a better price; that's our job. But if they're adamant, then you cancel the account." Gauthier had given Tech Talk her father's account information, and we in turn passed it along to Ben, who couldn't give his last name because AOL disallowed it. "I see here that on May 28, there was a form filled out that this person was deceased. ... That account is cancelled out, right now," Ben said. He explained that, for whatever reason, the form didn't get back to Melvin Berkowitz's file until mid-June, "so that month was our last bill. There won't be any more bills; I can assure you of that." Not long after Tech Talk spoke to Ben, we received a call from Sarah Matin, AOL corporate communications manager, in Dulles, Va. She denied that AOL condoned hard selling among its customer service workers. "We have a huge volume of customer service, millions of customers, so within that scale, of course, there are going to be a few bad apples," Matin said. "Obviously, we have to do much better." Resolution, or not? Finally, this month, Gauthier was able to cancel her father's credit card. The AOL charges, going back to last summer, were wiped away, and she was reimbursed for both the charges and late fees. But the story apparently isn't over. It turns out that Gauthier also has an AOL account, established more than a decade ago when her two daughters were pre-teens first learning to surf the Internet. She has no idea what has become of the account; it has been dormant for years. She never used it. She's hesitant to find out its status. "After going through all that trouble over my father, I'm not sure I could handle that again," she said. Plus, there's this: A few days ago, Gauthier obtained a letter from AOL that was sent to her mother in Florida. The letter was addressed to Melvin Berkowitz. "Dear Mr. Berkowitz," it said. "We hope you'll come back to AOL." Once an AOL customer, always an AOL customer. http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/business/...5A?OpenDocument

How many Oscar winners have gone on to have real sucess, a sitcom??? Never saw this show in syndication, was shocked to find out it was a 60's show, not from the 50's. I think they changed up the box art a bit from what I saw in the stores, but may be wrong.

Psst! Click on his handle!

What I can't believe, is that I'm the only one mentioning the 4th photo is NOT MM! Conn, she has something that is hard to describe. Most of her on screen behaviour/way of talking would annoy the crap out of me from 99% of the female population, but not from her. There was that ever-present sadness as well. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes was on TCM a few nights ago. Jane Russell wasn't exactly chopped liver, but Monroe just seems so exude so much more raw sexuality, in a way most actresses today even can't project.

Hope you had a good one, and that things keep improving with your wife's health!

Hey, anyone a fan of really old time baseball photos??? While looking for a Mel Ott photo, came across this thread on a baseball forum... http://www.baseball-fever.com/showthread.php?t=40306 just tons of great photos, and interesting stories.(And it has a mention of my all time favorite baseball player name, Urban Shocker! ) On page 4, there was this blurb about a Benefit Game....Joe Jackson had a cannon it appears!!!! Tim Murnane Death Benefit Game, Fenway Park, Boston, September 27, 1917. Tim Murnane, former ML player (1872-78) / Boston sports writer, 1888-1917, died unexpectedly February 7, 1917. The AL scheduled a benefit game between an AL All-Star team and the Boston Red Sox, for his widow. The AL All-Stars were, L-F: Hughie Jennings, Walter Johnson, Stuffy McInnis, Steve O'Neill, Joe Jackson, Ray Chapman, Ty Cobb, Buck Weaver, unknown. Kneeling: Howard Ehmke, Rabbit Maranville, Connie Mack, Wally Schang, Tris Speaker, Urban Shocker, unknown in civilian suit. This team lost to Red Sox pitcher Babe Ruth, 2-0. Urban Shocker/Howard Ehmke held Boston scoreless for the 1st 6 innings before Duffy Lewis drove in the winning runs off Walter Johnson in the 8th. A crowd of 17,000 raised $13,000. for the cause. Will Rogers performed his 'rope work and other range stunts', female members of the Ziegfeld Follies sold score cards. Babe Ruth won a fungo-hitting contest at 402 feet (Walter Johnson was 3rd at 360 feet), and Joe Jackson took the throwing prize with a toss of 396 feet..

Quincy, those stamps are nice...wish they showed a bit more action...perhaps it would be too big a stamp,(even if just Mel only) but this would make a nice one for Mel Ott...

This one was in the email as well....Look for a word, tilt your head to the right....

Got it in an email...how does someone figure out these things, anyway???

If you want my opinion, the whole NL is pretty pathetic and that sort of includes my team, the Mets. Yes, they're a good team but great no and as good as some of the AL teams, I don't know. Yep, the whole league looks so weak. Only 5 of the 16 teams have a record above .500. And what did any team(Except the Dodgers) do to try to improve themselves? I can see the fear that a team might give up the next Kasmir, but sometimes, you have to take a chance to improve yourselves now. Could the Cards beat the Sox(Red, or White) The Tigers,Twins, Angels? I seriously doubt it. Their starting pitchers except for Carpenter, are weak. The Mets? A very good team, but do you think they have enough starting pitching? Seems awfully old to me. Glavine always has a better first half, than second half. You know what team in the NL would have the best chance against an AL team? The Marlins! They should have rented Soriano for a few months....

Anyone get their cds yet? I ordered on the 26th, (A few dozen or so) and at the bottom of the email, it says....Your order is now being processed. All orders take approximately 5 to 7 business days from the day the order is placed. Well, I count 8 business days so far, and no emails, no cds, no nothing. Get the feeling we may have overwhelmed them with our mega orders? They don't know jazz nuts very well, do they???

Changes Name to Mel Gibstein.

Why do I feel this need to defend Abreu, a player I have not paid a whole lot of attention to his whole career? Oh well, I still say he will do better than he did this year in Philly(Still was on pace for 100 Rbi's) for the Yanks. In his first full season, 1998(He played in 151 that year, and has never played in less since then, so he ain't a Mickey Rivers type either) He had 17 homers that year, then...20, 25, 31, 20, 20, 30, and 24 last year. So, he is not a classic home run hitter, but he drives in around 100 every year, and that was with a weaker lineup in front of him. I guess I feel like he is being picked on in the way Frank Thomas was for taking too many walks. I'd much rather have a guy with a high OBP, who drives in 100 every year, than a guy who tries to be a hero every time, and swings at balls 3 feet outside. Abreu already strikes out a fair bit, if he was more aggressive,he would have even more strike outs. Time will tell, he'll need at least August for him to really get comfortable in the AL, but I think since he is patient, he will see more good pitches than other NL players coming over.

And he didn't even mention the tendency of imported stars to struggle in pinstripes. Tom Verducci is a fool who doesn't know squat! Bobby Abreu is Not Raul Mondesi!!! Jesus!!! Mondesi was a headcase. You would not believe the shit you hear about Chipper Jones in Atlanta. A fair number of fans act like he doesn't give a damn whether the team wins or loses, never runs to first hard,(He has had tons of leg problems the last few years, but they want him to run full speed to reinjure himself on an out) or that he never plays hard, etc. You'd think he was a AAA guy if you only read the Atlanta paper. So, just cuz Abreu isn't dumb enough to run into walls, Yankee fans shouldn't hold that against him. And what the fuck is hit aggressively in run-scoring situations? I mean, I kinda get what he is saying, but Abreu was batting 3rd in Philly, I guess because of his speed, but hitting further down the order in NY is going to help his RBI numbers. Hitting .313 with RISP with 54 RBI's in 99 AB's sounds fairly "agressive" to me. Verducci says he would rather have Sheffield than Abreu next year. Well, even on the Juice, Sheff will be 38 in November, and has a bad wrist. And we all know how fast he swings the bat thru the hitting zone. Perhaps too long ago to really compare, but the Cardinals traded for Bobby Bonds in 1980. He was 34, and had hit .285 with 25 homers in Cleveland the year before. Well, a pitch hit his wrist, broke it, and he when he came back he was never the same, hit .203 that year and was finished the next year. Perhaps that miracle balm will get him back in the game soon though.

Well, I found Abreu's situational stats on Yahoo, check out how he hit with the bases empty vs. RISP. More A.B.'s with no one on than with runners on, and you know that won't be the case now. http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/5698/s...00NbKJWPvKFCLcF

Well, I sure ain't one of those Yankee fans, but...I think the Yankees made a great deal. Abreu has a .427 OBP, and while I can't find it on ESPN, they mentioned last week that he hits around .340 with runners in scoring postion, which probably explains his 65 RBI's with only 8 homers. And after seeing Damon hit 2 fly balls that somehow made it into the upper deck, Abreu will get a few homers in Yankee stadium, I am sure. Amazingly, he also has 20 steals, pretty darn good for a big guy. I think your fav ex-GM ESPN analyst mentioned that the the Yankees fifth starter Hasn't made it past the 5th inning in something like 9 out of 17 starts(Something like that) and Lidle has made it thru the 5th in all but 1 start, so an upgrade for sure there. The only thing I have against trades so late in the season, is guys who switch leagues often(especially from the NL to AL) have trouble adjusting, so it will be interesting to see how they do.

gee, he sure looks sane....

Al, Dan, this is not a bad deal! Al, I would think you would be glad to be rid of Francisco Cordero anyway. IF they can sign Lee, he is a monster, 81 RBI's in the NL, imagine what he can do in Texas??? Funny if they would flip him for a starter....... From http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/ ESPN: Carlos Lee To Rangers Breaking news from ESPN's Keith Law: "The Milwaukee Brewers are trading slugger Carlos Lee to the Texas Rangers as part of a multi-player deal, ESPN.com learned Friday. The Brewers are sending Lee, minor-league outfield prospect Nelson Cruz and a player to be named later to the Rangers for relief pitcher Francisco Cordero and outfielders Kevin Mench and Laynce Nix." Initial opinion: Jon Daniels got the best of Doug Melvin here. Daniels gets a player comparable to Mench in Cruz, only cheaper. He adds a huge addition to the middle of the lineup for the stretch run in Lee. Mench is at a crossroads, Cordero is really just an OK 31 year-old reliever with saves under his belt, and Nix has been long on promise but short on results. It seems that Melvin is trying to stay competitive and get some players for the future for Lee at the same time, so Brewers fans have to respect that.

Since the world today is all about 2nd chances, if he didn't squeeze an ass or butt, why not just suspend him for a week?

Damn!

Dan, I swear I didn't see your post up when I posted the story!!!

Uh-oh....... Source: ChiSox 'extremely close' to Soriano dealESPN.com news services The White Sox are "extremely close" to trading for Nationals outfielder Alfonso Soriano, a source close to the situation told ESPN The Magazine's Tim Kurkjian. The Nationals have great interest in pitcher Brandon McCarthy. The White Sox, said the source, also are close to acquiring pitcher Mike MacDougal from the Royals in exchange for minor league pitcher Tyler Lumsden. Soriano joined Washington last offseason in a trade from Texas, and the Nationals shifted him from second base to left field. Soriano is batting .288 with 31 homers, 62 RBI and 25 steals. The slugger, who is scheduled to become a free agent at the end of the season, said Sunday he wanted to remain in Washington but doubted he and the Nationals could agree to a contract extension before the deadline. The five-time All-Star said he spoke with incoming Nationals president Stan Kasten on Thursday, but they didn't discuss contract details. Soriano added that he doesn't think his agent, Diego Bentz, has discussed numbers with the Nationals, either. One potential stumbling block if the sides did agree on a new contract: Soriano said he wants a no-trade clause, something Kasten pointed out Sunday he refused to include in contracts he negotiated in recent years while an executive with the Atlanta Braves, the NBA's Hawks and the NHL's Thrashers. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2528494